NABL a History

[JayW UK]

2016 - Playoffs

The Divisional round featured two rematches from the previous season. In the East, Boston renewed their rivalry with Miami and gained revenge for their exit the previous year with a 3-1 series win. Philadelphia overcame a tough Indianapolis team, taking the series in five after trailing 1-0 and 2-1.
In the west Seattle despatched Dallas 3-1, shutting the Mustangs out in two of the games and allowing a total of 4 runs in the series. The rematch between Minneapolis and Houston lived up to the hype. The Stars still smarting from being swept by Minneapolis the previous year, started fast taking games 1 and 2 on the road. The Bears regrouped after that and behind dominant pitching (including an NABL playoff record 14K performance from Anthony Barrett in game four) and timely hitting, won the next three games, edging the series finale in extra innings.

Both Pennant Series went the distance, in the East, Boston saw off Philadelphia in a see-saw battle with first Boston then Philadelphia having the advantage, before Boston wrestled the initiative away for good, taking games 6 and 7 in Philadelphia (much to the annoyance of the home crowd).
In the west Seattle overcame the favourites Minneapolis, after dropping two of the first three games they won two out of the next three to even the series. The Pivotal game 7 held at a packed Twin City Stadium went the way of the visitors Seattle, who took the WL Pennant with a 5-3 win.

The World Series once again went the full slate of games. Boston took game one before dropping the second game 2-1, the series then switched to Seattle for three games. The Pioneers won game 3 but Boston bounced back behind the hitting of Sergio Woods and Larry Peterson to take game four. Seattle sent their fans home happy winning game 5, their final home game of the season. Boston saved their season by winning game six in a thriller when Woods hit a walk off Homerun in the bottom of the ninth. The deciding game seven was an anti-climax for the home fans as Seattle took an early lead before shutting the door and taking a stranglehold on the game shutting Boston out 5-0 to win their first World Series crown.

2016 Playoff Recap

Divisional Series
EL: Boston 3-1 Miami, Philadelphia 3-2 Indianapolis
WL: Minneapolis 3-2 Houston, Seattle 3-1 Dallas
Championship Series
EL: Boston 4-3 Philadelphia
WL: Seattle 4-3 Minneapolis
World Series
Seattle 4-3 Boston

[JayW UK]

2016 – League Leaders and Season Awards

EL Batting Leaders
Hits
220 Alejandro Pichardo (ATL)
211 Carlos Vazquez (MIA)
189 Jack Epps (BOS)
Batting Avg.
.346 Alejandro Pichardo (ATL)
.341 Carlos Vazquez (MIA)
.329 Jack Epps (BOS)
Homeruns
46 Andrew Parker (NO)
45 Sergio Woods (BOS)
41 Vicente Padilla (IND)
RBI’s
116 Juan Santos (PHI)
115 Larry Peterson (BOS)
115 Carlos Vazquez (MIA)
Stolen Bases
44 Johnny Watson (MIA)
39 Ryan Roberts (DET)
38 Bob Porter (DET)

EL Pitching Leaders
Wins
20 Lou Murphy (DET)
18 Vince Little (ATL)
18 David Rocha (MIA)
ERA
2.26 Vince Little (ATL)
2.28 David Rocha (MIA)
2.34 Lou Murphy (DET)
Strikeouts
244 Ed Hudson (NY)
237 Vince Little (ATL
236 Lou Murphy (DET)
Saves
40 Min-Jae Choi (DET)
39 Davey Gibbons (BOS)
36 Jose Maldonado (CHI)

WL Batting Leaders
Hits
220 Marcus Witt (DEN)
207 Culley Clare (PHO)
202 Albert Massey (HOU)
Batting Avg.
.351 Warren Dyer (SF)
.348 Culley Clare (PHO)
.335 Marcus Witt (DEN)
Homeruns
34 Kevin Jones (LA)
33 Troy Edwards (PHO)
32 Dan Connibeer (LA)
RBI’s
103 Rafael Vazquez (MIN)
102 Benjamin Wetherby (OKC)
100 Dan Connibeer (LA)
Stolen Bases
48 Pedro Rios (KC)
46 Christian Saunders (PHO)
45 Warren Dyer (SF)

WL Pitching Leaders
Wins
21 Javier Mendez (LA)
19 Jose Flores (OKC)
18 Jose Marino (DAL)
ERA
1.65 Javier Mendez (LA)
2.11 Floyd Tillman (MIN)
2.32 Francisco Aragon (SF)
Strikeouts
275 Jose Marino (DAL)
242 Anthony Barrett (MIN)
237 Alfredo Flores (SF)
Saves
51 Darby Stone (MIN)
43 Edgar Arrojo (KC)
43 Jesse Jones (HOU)

Season Awards

Batting Champion – Atlanta shortstop Alejandro Pichardo (.346) held off Miami’s Carlos Vazquez (.341) to take the award in the Eastern League. Over in the west Sanfrancisco’s Warren Dyer (.351) won his second batting title beating defending champion, Phoenix’s Culley Clare (.348)
Homerun Champion – New Orleans outfielder Andrew Parker’s 46 Homeruns led the way in the east ahead of Boston slugger Sergio Woods (45). The Western league title was won by LA’s Kevin Jones with 34, one ahead of Troy Edwards of Phoenix.
Outstanding Hitter – Andrew Parker (.310, 46 HR, 109 RBI and 119 R) won his second award in the east. Los Angeles shortstop, Kevin Jones (.293, 34 HR, 74 RBI, 112 BB and 94 R) lead the way in the West just edging out Sanfrancisco’s Warren Dyer in the voting.
Outstanding Pitcher – Detroit Giants pitcher Lou Murphy (20-6, 2.34 ERA) held off Miami’s David Rocha (18-7, 2.28 ERA) to take the Eastern League award. In the west Javier Mendez (21-4, 1.65 ERA) had a superb season for Los Angeles to take the award ahead of Minneapolis pitcher Floyd Tillman (17-8, 2.11 ERA).
Rookie of the Year – Philadelphia Rookie Jose Muniz (.316, 5HR, 37RBI and 28 stolen bases) took the award in the east, while Dallas outfielder Jeff Green (.285, 14 HR, 77 RBI) won in the west.
Manager of the Year – In the Eastern League Jesse Franklin won his second MOY award for leading Philadelphia to the Pennant Series. In the west the award was won by Dallas manger Jose Porfeiro for leading his charges to their first playoff appearance.
Glove Wizard Awards EL – P Tom Rupert (MIA) – C Chris McIlvrae (DET) – 1B Jesus Guillen (PHI) – 2B Mitch Brown (PHI) – 3B Tom Martineau (PHI) – SS Alejandro Pichardo (ATL) – LF Jose Ordonez (CHI) – CF Omar Pauw (IND) – RF Eric King (CLE)
Glove Wizard Awards WL – P Jim Young (SD) – C Robin Ashburn (LV) – 1B Charles Mueller (KC) – 2B Marcus Witt (DEN) – 3B Edmund West (SJ) – SS Kevin Jones (LA) – LF Rafael Vazquez (MIN) – CF Yasutake Inoue (PHO) – RF Pedro Castillo (OKC)

Interesting Facts – Boston pair 1B Sergio Woods (45 HR) and 3B Larry Peterson (40 HR) became the first teammates to each hit 40+ homeruns in multiple seasons (having both reached the landmark in 2015)

[JayW UK]

2017 Off-Season

In a busy offseason several of the NABL’s top stars moved to new homes, first ex-Detroit ace and Outstanding Pitcher Award winner Lou Murphy struck a lucrative 2-year deal with Los Angeles. Indianapolis lost star SS Vicente Padilla to Washington when the former wouldn’t meet his contract demands, his new employers were more than willing to pay what he was asking for, signing him to a 2 year $39M deal. The Generals said goodbye to star RF Ben Douglas who left Washington to head to Denver, signing with the Wildcats on a four year $82M deal whilst Minneapolis also made a splash, signing former Cleveland star Alberto Ortiz to a lucrative 6-year $130M contract. The biggest move by far involved Los Angeles again, this time losing Outstanding Hitter Award Winner and star shortstop Kevin Jones to free agency. Four teams soon emerged as serious suitors for his services, Chicago, Denver, New York and Phoenix. Eventually the choice for Jones came down to New York and Phoenix, he chose to stay in the Western League foregoing the bright lights of New York to sign a 4 year $88M deal with the Eagles.
The managerial merry-go-round was in full swing as well, with both Cleveland and San Jose once again looking for new managers. Cleveland struck first by hiring former Detroit bench coach Al Henderson to be their new Field Manager, not to be outdone, the Spartans raided the Atlanta Flames coaching tree, tabbing hitting coach Hector Luna as the replacement for outgoing boss Allen McGuire. Atlanta manager Will Harris, the 2015 Manager of the Year, had also surprisingly quit after the teams disappointing 2016 campaign, meaning the club was looking to fill two coaching positions with the loss of Luna. Rather than going the re-tread manager route, the Flames valued continuity and promoted from within. Bench coach Jeff Taylor was appointed as Will Harris’s replacement while AAA hitting coach Matt Hunt moved up to fulfil the same role with the major league club.
Heading into the draft there were three SEC players expected to be drafted early, Slick fielding shortstop Michael Matthews from Alabama, Slugging first baseman Michael “Boomer” Jennings from Tennessee and hard throwing pitcher Matt McKeochan from LSU.
On Draft night the first player picked was high school pitcher Bill Hilliard by San Jose, another questionable pick by Ted Garneau, Cleveland made fellow pitcher Ron Barnes the second pick before another high school pitcher Daniel Samuels was taken 3rd by Memphis, McKeochan heard his name called fourth by New York, Matthews was next, drafted by Tampa Bay fifth while Jennings had to wait until the 14th pick where Kansas City tabbed him. The Tornadoes also drafted second baseman Jack Underwood from New Orleans College in the 7th round, he had fallen down the draft because of injury concerns and KC took a chance on him. Many scouts believed they had got a huge steal if he could just stay healthy which was a big if, as this had always been his problem.

[JayW UK]

2017 - Regular Season

Boston and Philadelphia were joined by Washington in a three-way season long battle for the Atlantic division title. Boston (90-72) led by the Power hitting of Sergio Woods (52 HR, 123 RBI) eventually squeezed over the line ahead of the Juan Santos (.334, 51 HR, 133 RBI) led Philadelphia Independence (88-74) and Washington (87-75), New York (66-96) stumbled to their third straight last place finish.
In the Central, Indianapolis won the division for the second year running, finishing with 87 wins, six games behind their 2016 pace, Chicago improved to 82 wins to finish second while Detroit tumbled from 90 to 78 wins in a season marred by injuries and a disappointing campaign from their pitching staff, although Benedict Lewis (17-9, 3.13 ERA) did his best he alone couldn’t carry the load. Cleveland (56-106) sank without trace to their third consecutive 100 loss season.
Miami led by 1B Carlos Vazquez (.318, 39 HR, 111 RBI) and the league’s top pitching staff (Carlos Correa, Javier Morales and David Rocha combined for a 51-21, 2.66 ERA record) cruised to the Southeast division title coming up one game short of 100 wins, their nearest challengers were Atlanta, with 1B Gabriel Mendez (.363, 42 HR, 113 RBI) and P Vince Little 18-9, 2.47 ERA) carrying the load the Flames finished 9 games back and took the wild card place. Tampa Bay (76-86) were a distant third but climbed above New Orleans (73-89) in the standings once again. Despite having one of the best pitching staffs in the league led by Zander Pace (18-11, 2.19 ERA) and James Brown (16-8, 1.64 ERA), the Blues finished bottom, their problem was offense, only San Diego and San Jose scored less runs on the season.

In the West Minneapolis finally broke through the 100-win barrier with a NABL record 105 wins on the season. They took the Midwest division by storm, winning by 14 games while leading all season long behind a strong rotation featuring ace Anthony Barrett (19-4, 2.22 ERA) ably supported by Alejandro Ramiriez (17-7, 3.17 ERA) and Floyd Tillman (16-6, 3.06 ERA). Claude Cummings (36 HR) and former Pioneer Joe Rutherford (30 HR) provided most of the power for an offense that was second in the NABL in runs scored and led the way with 205 homeruns. Denver, with RF Ben Douglas (.292, 32 HR, 115 RBI) providing plenty of power, improved on their disappointing 2016 but were still a long way off the pace in second with a 91-71 record. Kansas City (86-76) despite the presence of star rookie Dixon Bodean finished third while Oklahoma City (84-78), despite boasting the second-best pitching staff in the west, finished last in the division, mainly because of their weak offense (hitting only 97 HR and batting below the league average as a team).
Houston (85-77) took the Southwest by virtue of being the only team in the division with a winning record, Memphis with 77 wins (a club record) climbed to a tie for second with Phoenix, who despite the addition of all-star Kevin Jones (.341, 29 HR, 99 RBI), struggled defensively all season. Dallas slumped alarmingly from their 2016 selves dropping from 95 wins to just 74 whilst Las Vegas dropped to the bottom of the division with a 73-89 record.
The Pacific division was won easily by Sanfrancsico who, driven by Netuno Ermida (.346, 23 HR, 98 RBI) and the NABL’s top scoring offense, finished 96-66, Seattle the 2016 world champions were the only other team with a winning record at 82-80. The addition of Lou Murphy (12-10, 2.59 ERA) to the Los Angeles pitching staff couldn’t make up for the loss of Kevin Jones on offense, as the Lynx slumped to a record of 74-88. San Diego (68-94) dipped below 70 wins for the first time in the club’s history while San Jose (62-100) suffered through their third straight 100-loss season.

[JayW UK]

2017 Final Standings

Eastern League

Atlantic Division
Boston 92-70 *
Philadelphia 88-74
Washington 87-75
New York 66-96

Central Division
Indianapolis 87-75 *
Chicago 82-80
Detroit 78-84
Cleveland 56-106

Southeast Division
Miami 99-63 *
Atlanta 90-72 *
Tampa Bay 76-86
New Orleans 73-89

Western League

Midwest Division
Minneapolis 105-57 *
Denver 91-71 *
Kansas City 86-76
Oklahoma City 84-78

Southwest Division
Houston 85-77 *
Memphis 77-85
Phoenix 77-85
Dallas 74-88
Las Vegas 73-89

Pacific Division
Sanfrancisco 96-66 *
Seattle 82-80
Los Angeles 74-88
San Diego 68-94
San Jose 62-100

[JayW UK]

2017 - Season Notes

April 13th - Detroit 2B Roy Kenelly collected five hits, four of them doubles, the last of which was a walk-off variety in the bottom of the fourteenth inning, giving Detroit a 5-4 victory over division rivals Chicago.
April 22nd - Chicago’s Juan Velasco collected six hits becoming only the third player in NABL history to achieve the feat. He hit four singles, two doubles and drove in two runs in a losing effort, his Zephyrs going down 5-2 to the Boston Pilgrims.
May 2nd to May 7th - Philadelphia slugger Juan Santos hit a home run in six straight games, going 10 for 23 with 11 RBI’s while drawing three walks during his hot streak. Philadelphia won all of the six games in which he hit a homerun.
May 26th - the San Jose manager’s job proved to be too much for Hector Luna as with the club rooted to the bottom of the standings at 14-36, GM Ted Garneau’s patience ran out and he was fired. Luna had barely cleared his desk when Russell Hewitt (former Detroit hitting coach) was named as his successor, many neutrals gave him little chance of succeeding given Ted Garneau’s demanding nature.
July - 7th Juan Velasco became the first player in NABL history to collect 6 hits in multiple games, when he went 6 for 6 against Boston (the team he first hit 6 against in April) this time he collected three singles, two doubles and a home run along with 5 RBI’s, helping Chicago to a 9-4 win.
July 8th - Detroit’s Jarrod Cross hit safely in his 28th game breaking the consecutive game hitting streak record set by Edgar Garcia in 2015.
July 21st - whilst sliding into second base on a steal attempt, Jarrod Cross fractured his foot, Detroit placed him and his NABL record hitting streak onto the DL, where he was expected to return by the end of August to continue his attack on the record books.
August 3rd - the managerial hot seat in Cleveland became too hot for Al Henderson as, with his Corsairs struggling to a 38-70 record and in the midst of an eight-game losing streak, he became the latest Cleveland manager to collect his walking papers. Former Las Vegas pitching coach, Evan Elders was named his successor.
August 19th - Jarod Cross returned from his injury and hit safely in his 38th game, a pinch-hit single against Chicago. Two days later the streak was over at 38 when again he was used as a pinch hitter but this time came up empty against Chicago pitcher Billy Moss.
September 16th - Miami pitcher Carlos Correa with his sixth K of the day became the first player in NABL history to strike out 300 batters in a single season, he went on to record 314 by seasons end.
September 20th - Sergio Woods became the first NABL player to hit 50 homeruns in a single season when he went deep in the first inning of Boston’s game against Cleveland, he was followed into the record books later the same day by Philadelphia star Juan Santos when he hit number 50 against Detroit.
September 27th - Chicago 2B Juan Velasco had his 23-game hitting streak ended by Detroit, he had an earlier 20 game hitting streak ended by Atlanta in August. By the end of the season Velasco had hit safely in 47 of his last 50 games, he had also become the only player in NABL history to have two 20 game hitting streaks in the same season.
September 30th - in his last game of the season, Phoenix superstar Kevin Jones drew walk numbers 149 and 150 becoming the first player in NABL history to receive 150 free passes in a season. He smashed the previous record of 119 held by Philadelphia’s Jose Guillen.

[JayW UK]

2017 - Playoffs

The defending Eastern League champions Boston, took on the wild card entry Atlanta. In a disappointing series, in which the Pilgrims lost Sergio Woods to a serious knee injury (more on that later) Atlanta swept aside Boston with dominant pitching and good defense, taking the series in a three-game sweep. Top seed Miami played Indianapolis in a tight five game series which the Racers eventually won, overcoming Miami’s strong pitching and taking the series 3-2. In the west both series ended in sweeps, Houston were no match for the 105-win Minneapolis Bears, the third straight year they had been sent home by them. Denver were the wildcard team and this proved to be crucial as they dropped games 1 and 2 on the road, both in extra innings, before losing game three at home to Sanfrancisco in lopsided fashion, going down 8-1. The nature of the losses in the first two games on the road were blamed for their below par performance when they returned home.

The Eastern League pennant was a classic, going the full seven games. Atlanta took the first two games at home and appeared to be well on their way to the World Series, leading game three 5-0 after 7 innings. Indianapolis came roaring back though, taking the game to extra innings and eventually winning on a Mark Abraham walk off home run in the 12th. Games 4 and 5 were taken by the Racers in less dramatic fashion and put them on the verge of the World Series, needing to win just one of the two remaining games. Atlanta shut the door on Indianapolis in game 6 shutting down the Racers 5-1 and behind another strong pitching performance by ace Vince Little, took game seven 6-2. In the west despite Minneapolis winning 105 games they had no answer for Sanfrancisco’s Warren Dyer and Netuno Ermida led offense and were swept aside four games to nil. It was the third season in a row that the team had fallen in the Championship series, giving rise to accusations in the local press that the team choked when it mattered most.

The 2017 World Series was the first to not go the full seven games, Sanfrancisco had home field advantage and had not lost a game in the playoffs sweeping both Denver and Minneapolis. The Flames wrestled that advantage away immediately by taking game one. Sanfrancisco evened the series before taking the advantage back, winning games 3 and 4 in Atlanta. The Flames won game five to ensure that the series would return to California, where behind a strong pitching performance from Jose Flores, Sanfrancsisco won and took the World Series 4 games to 2.

October 5th - during game 3 of Boston’s Playoff series against Atlanta, Pilgrims first baseman Sergio Woods, collapsed to the turf in agony after making a defensive play. It was revealed later that he suffered a serious dislocation of his knee and major damage to the ACL and MCL ligaments He underwent several surgeries in the following days but after advice from his doctors and talking to his manager and teammates, on the 22nd October Sergio Woods announced his retirement at age 32. He collected 502 hits with 158 homeruns and drove in 413 runners in his short four-year career.

2017 Playoff Recap

Divisional Series
EL: Atlanta 3-0 Boston, Indianapolis 3-2 Miami
WL: Minneapolis 3-0 Houston, Sanfrancisco 3-0 Denver
Championship Series
EL: Atlanta 4-3 Indianapolis
WL: Sanfrancisco 4-0 Minneapolis
World Series
Sanfrancisco 4-2 Atlanta

[JayW UK]

2017 – League Leaders and Season Awards

EL Batting Leaders
Hits
243 Juan Velasco (CHI)
204 Juan Santos (PHI)
201 Carlos Vazquez (MIA)
Batting Avg.
.363 Gabriel Mendez (ATL)
.362 Juan Velasco (CHI)
.335 Jeff Miller (TB)
Homeruns
52 Sergio Woods (BOS)
51 Juan Santos (PHI)
42 Gabriel Mendez (ATL)
RBI’s
133 Juan Santos (PHI)
123 Sergio Woods (BOS)
113 Gabriel Mendez (ATL)
Stolen Bases
37 Brandon Bowman (DET)
32 Johnny Pineda (MIA)
30 Ryan Roberts (DET)

EL Pitching Leaders
Wins
18 Carlos Correa (MIA)
18 Vince Little (ATL)
18 Ed Hudson (BOS)
ERA
1.64 James Brown (NO)
1.91 Carlos Correa (MIA)
2.19 Zander Pace (NO)
Strikeouts
314 Carlos Correa (MIA)
249 Ed Hudson (BOS)
232 Zander Pace (NO)
Saves
50 Doug Collins (MIA)
42 Gerald Bridges (WAS)
40 RichardBridgewater (IND)

WL Batting Leaders
Hits
219 Marcus Witt (DEN)
201 Netuno Ermida (SF)
188 Kevin Jones (PHO)
Batting Avg.
.354 Marcus Witt (DEN)
.346 Netuno Ermida (SF)
.341 Kevin Jones (PHO)
Homeruns
39 Tony Diaz (DAL)
37 Troy Edwards (PHO)
36 Claude Cummins (MIN)
RBI’s
115 Ben Douglas (DEN)
112 Jesus Acedo (PHO)
106 Troy Edwards (PHO)
Stolen Bases
47 Jonathan Russell (MIN)
43 Pedro Rios (KC)
36 Marshall Ayersome (MEM)

WL Pitching Leaders
Wins
19 Anthony Barrett (MIN)
19 Manuel Garcia (DEN)
18 Jaime Gonzales (DEN)
ERA
1.77 AJ Merriweather (OKC)
2.22 Anthony Barrett (MIN)
2.28 Ricky Bane (LV)
Strikeouts
269 Jose Marino (DAL)
268 Anthony Barrett (MIN)
236 Alfredo Flores (SF)
Saves
47 Kendrick Younger (LA)
46 Edgar Arrojo (KC)
46 Wally Erickson (SEA)

Season Awards

Batting Champion – In the East it was a close-run thing with eventual winner Atlanta’s Gabriel Mendez (.363) pipping Chicago’s Juan Velasco (.362) by the tiniest of margins. Over in the west Denver 2B Marcus Witt (.354) finally won the award beating off Sanfrancisco star Netuno Ermida (.346)
Homerun Champion – The Eastern league was dominated by two hitters, Boston 1B Sergio Woods with 52 holding off Philadelphia’s Juan Santos 51 for the title. Over in the west the totals were lower but the race was just as tight as Dallas RF Tony Diaz belted 4 HR in the final week of play to take the award with 39, Phoenix outfielder Troy Edwards once again finished as the bridesmaid with 37.
Outstanding Hitter – Juan Santos (.334, 51 HR, 133 RBI) the star Philadelphia outfielder took the award in the East ahead of Atlanta 1B Gabriel Mendez (.363, 42 HR, 113 RBI) while Kevin Jones (.341, 29 HR, 99 RBI, 150 BB and 117 R) now of Phoenix, won his second consecutive Outstanding Hitter award in the west.
Outstanding Pitcher – Miami pitcher Carlos Correa (18-4, 1.99 ERA, 314K) took the award in a crowded field in the east. Vince Little of Atlanta (18-9, 2.42 ERA, 10 complete games with 5 shutouts) and James Brown (16-8, 1.64 ERA) of New Orleans had strong bids also. Over in the west, Minneapolis pitcher Anthony Barrett (19-4, 2.22 ERA) pipped OKC’s A.J Merriweather (17-5, 1.77 ERA) to the award.
Rookie of the Year – In the East, an underwhelming rookie class was led by Jorge Sanchez (.233, 14 HR, 48 RBI) of New Orleans while Denver rookie Su-Chang Park (.295, 17 HR, 71 RBI) won the vote in the west.
Manager of the Year – A brilliant first season as manager for Atlanta’s Jeff Taylor, culminating in guiding his team to the World Series, meant he won the award in a landslide in the east. Sanfrancisco skipper, Pat Bennett won the award in the west for going one further than Taylor and winning the World Series.
Glove Wizard Awards EL – P Roberto Perez (CLE) – C Mark Abraham (IND) – 1B Carlos Vazquez (MIA) – 2B Robbie Jensen (MIA) – 3B Julio Matos (NO) – SS Brian Gray (MIA) – LF Jarrod Cross (DET) – CF Omar Pauw (CHI) – RF Eric King (CLE)
Glove Wizard Awards WL – P Eduardo Vazquez (KC) – C Hirotada Yama****a (MIN) – 1B Andres Marquez (MEM) – 2B Marcus Witt (DEN) – 3B Pedro Rios (KC) – SS Cooper Booth (LV) – LF Tony Diaz (DAL) – CF Ralph Martin (OKC) – RF Jonathan Baker (SEA)

[JayW UK]

2018 Off-Season

During the 2017 season it became known that the Cleveland ownership group wanted out and was looking to sell the franchise. At seasons end there were a number of bids tabled but two stood out, an offer from a St Louis Consortium led by Charles B Dolan and one from Mexican businessman Edwin Colon. While the St Louis bid was for more money, it was the Mexican bid that was preferred as Colon promised to keep the Corsairs in Cleveland for at least the next ten years, and if viable would commit to a new stadium, while Dolan’s bid did not promise this, and in fact his preferred position was to move the team to St Louis. Both bids were presented to the league owners at the winter meetings and Colon’s bid was the clear winner, the commissioner’s office duly ratified the sale and on January 1st 2018 Edwin Colon became the new owner of the Cleveland Corsairs franchise. His first order of business was to have a clear out of what he termed the “dead wood”. Out went GM Jerry Collins, Scouting Direct Paul Klinger and Manager Evan Elders, Bench Coach Michael Bradshaw survived the cull and maintained the position he had held since 2017 (outlasting the last 3 managers) as a familiar face he would be the conduit between the players and the new management team. Colon appointed fellow Mexican, Miguel Megallas as his new GM and George Hitchings as his Scouting Director, then named former Chicago Bench Coach Paul Ladd as the new manager of the Cleveland Corsairs.
While the sale of the Corsairs dominated the headlines, star players were on the move. Former Phoenix Catcher Culley Clare became the first free agent to sign with Colon’s new look Cleveland when he put pen to paper on a four year $80M deal. Indianapolis, searching for a power hitter to replace Vicente Padilla who left after the 2016 season, pulled off the biggest coup of the offseason, luring Gabriel Mendez away from Atlanta on a four-year deal. Sanfrancisco Gold strengthened an already good rotation, signing David Rocha away from Miami for $141M over six years. Los Angeles followed suit signing ace pitcher Zander Pace away from New Orleans for $103M over five years, and Luis Manuel Quinones from San Diego for $75M over 5 years. Kansas City improved their infield by adding batting champion and former Denver 2B Marcus Witt on a 4 year $85M deal. Phoenix picked up 2014 Outstanding Pitcher Award winner Juan Delgado who had left Oklahoma City on not particularly good terms, they also added reclamation project Juan Sanchez, the former Cleveland pitcher who owned a 24-67 record with a 5.62 ERA was hoping a change of scenery would help turn his career around. Two-time Western League batting champion Warren Dyer, upped sticks and signed a deal with Tampa Bay to call Florida home for the next two years while 2B Jeff Miller left Tampa for the bright lights of Hollywood, signing a 2-year $37M deal with LA.
Going into the 2018 draft, most of the buzz was about two high school players, Outfielder Chandler Harrington and Catcher Kane McKenzie. Although both players were raw, if they developed and reached their potential, everyone agreed they would be future stars. On draft night it was Harrington who heard his name called first, going No1 overall to the Corsairs, becoming the first draft pick of Cleveland’s new brain trust of Megallas and Hitchings. San Jose went with local college product, San Jose State Pitcher Raul Pena, rated the best pitcher in the draft by many. Kane McKenzie was drafted third by New York and immediately installed as the NABL’s No1 rated prospect. San Diego took Colorado Christian first baseman 23-year-old Travis Gore fourth while Houston picked up intriguing high school pitching prospect, Marc Birstall with the 14th pick.

[JayW UK]

2018 - Regular Season

In the Atlantic division, Boston (82-80) despite losing their two best power hitters over the offseason (Sergio Woods to injury and Larry Peterson to retirement) still managed to win the division crown by being the only team with a winning record. New York (80-82) rose from the dead but still couldn’t find enough consistency to take the division from the Pilgrims. Washington (79-83) finished third ahead of Philadelphia (75-87) who despite a potent batting lineup boasting Juan Santos (.298, 39 HR, 103 RBI), struggled all season with their pitching.
The Central division was a two-horse race between Detroit and favourites Indianapolis who were led by star off-season acquisition 1B Gabriel Mendez (.342, 37 HR, 131 RBI). Detroit (92-70) eventually edged out Indianapolis (90-72) to take the division crown even though former ace Benedict Lewis lost a franchise record 17 games. Chicago were un-inspiring on their way to a disappointing 80-82 record while Cleveland bought up the rear, yet again losing more than 100 games. Edwin Colon proved to be a patient man as even though his Corsairs had their fourth straight 100 game losing season with a 55-107 record, he did not fire his manager instead choosing to allow the long-term plan to play out.
The Southeast division saw an unexpected challenge from New Orleans (97-65) who excited the neutrals with their care free style of baseball, but in the end, they fell just short of unseating Vince Little (19-11, 2.62 ERA) and Atlanta (99-63) for the division crown. Tampa Bay improved by one game from the year before to win 77 while Miami slumped to a franchise worst 66-96 record. The Everglades offense fell off a cliff after injuries hit their lineup while their pitching staff, who after an injury to Carlos Correa and the loss of David Rocha (to Sanfrancisco) were unable to pick up the slack.

Over in the west, Oklahoma City broke the 100-win barrier for the first time, winning 102 games behind excellent defense and a strong pitching staff featuring Alfredo Flores (17-7, 2.94 ERA) and World Series winner Juan Vazquez (16-3, 2.30 ERA). Minneapolis came in second with 97 wins, a disappointing total given their fearsome pitching rotation (Anthony Barrett 19-5, 2.23 ERA, Dave Cahill 17-8, 3.16 ERA) and plethora of quality hitters including CF Claude Cummins (.274, 33 HR, 104 RBI) and 3B Alberto Ortiz (.313, 29 HR, 111 RBI), Denver slumped from 91 to 83 wins to finish third and Kansas City came in bottom with an 81-81 record.
In the Southwest Division, behind the pitching of Isreal Beasley (20-10, 2.91 ERA) and hitting of Gary Wilson (33 HR) and Gerald Moran (29 HR), Las Vegas claimed their first division title, finishing with 90 wins. Houston were the only other team to break .500 on the season finishing eight games further back, Dallas (79-83) improved record wise but not near enough to challenge. Memphis slid back to below .500 winning just 72 games while Phoenix dropped from 77 to 61 wins after losing superstar Kevin Jones to a season ending injury in June.
Los Angeles rose to the top of the Pacific division behind an offense driven by CF Felix Santiago (.271, 26 HR, 77 RBI) and 2B Jeff Miller (.306, 17 HR, 74 RBI) and the pitching of Max Castle (19-11, 2.16 ERA) and Zander Pace (17-10, 2.52 ERA), they won 96 games, 2017 world champions Sanfrancisco dropped to 89 wins and missed out on the chance to defend their title. Seattle once again squeezed to an 82-80 record while San Diego climbed above 70 wins again finishing 75-87. San Jose had their worst season yet, riven by infighting and scandal they limped their way to a 45-117 record, the worst in NABL history.

[JayW UK]

2018 Final Standings

Eastern League

Atlantic Division
Boston 82-80 *
New York 80-82
Washington 79-83
Philadelphia 75-87

Central Division
Detroit 92-70 *
Indianapolis 90-72
Chicago 80-82
Cleveland 55-107

Southeast Division
Atlanta 99-63 *
New Orleans 97-65 *
Tampa Bay 77-85
Miami 66-96

Western League

Midwest Division
Oklahoma City 102-60 *
Minneapolis 97-65 *
Denver 83-79
Kansas City 81-81

Southwest Division
Las Vegas 90-72 *
Houston 82-80
Dallas 79-83
Memphis 72-90
Phoenix 61-101

Pacific Division
Los Angeles 96-66 *
Sanfrancisco 89-73
Seattle 82-80
San Diego 75-87
San Jose 45-117

[JayW UK]

2018 - Season Notes

March 15th - Spring Training – Los Angeles pitcher Lou Murphy suffered a shoulder injury forcing LA to shut him down for at least three months. Three days later Denver pitcher Ray Ware, on the comeback trail after recovering from elbow surgery and playing sparingly in 2017, suffered another elbow injury, fortunately it was only a sprain but would force him to miss the start of the season.
April 22nd - Tampa Bay’s Warren Dyer had his 26-game hitting streak snapped by Miami, his streak had started the previous September when he was a member of the Sanfrancisco Gold.
May 19th - Detroit’s Ray Kenelly became the fifth member of the six-hit club in a game against his old club Chicago.
May 22nd - in only his third game of the season, Denver pitcher Ray Ware suffered another injury, this time a forearm strain that would keep him out of action for another month
May 28th - Atlanta’s Luis Sanchez collected 6 hits, becoming the sixth member of the exclusive six hit club. He went 6 for 6 with 2 RBI in an 8-6 win against Tampa Bay.
June 2th – Seattle LF Joe Walker smashed two three run homers and collected 8 RBI helping the Pioneers overcome Memphis 11-7.
June 27th - on a balmy summer’s evening in New Orleans, Blues pitcher Thomas Zimmerman became the first player in NABL history to throw a PERFECT GAME when he blanked Indianapolis.
July 5th - Los Angeles 2B Jeff Miller became the third player in league history to hit for the cycle, going 4 for 4 and collecting 3 RBI in a game against San Diego.
July 10th - In a dark day for the NABL, five players from San Jose including starters 1B Doug Roberts, CF Al Griffin and 2016 No1 overall pick Chris Wilson, were each suspended without pay for 80 games for violating the league policy on Performance Enhancing Drugs. San Jose manager Russell Hewitt and team physician Derek Rhodes were also fired a day later for their part in the scandal (they allegedly had actively encouraged the use of PED’s) bench coach Cal Buckner was promoted to interim manager, taking over a team mired at the foot of the NABL standings with a 26-61 record.
July 18th - Cleveland GM Miguel Merallas proved he would be aggressive in his efforts to improve the Corsairs by trading away starting pitcher and fan favourite Leanardo Torres for Houston’s former Outstanding Hitter award winner 1B Albert Massey, minor league shortstop Mike Kane and $3M to help cover Massey’s contract.
July 23rd - Chicago rookie Juan Fuentes hit 3 homeruns, driving in six runs in a win against Philadelphia, two days later Fuentes’ teammate Bob Dillard belted three dingers of his own going 3 for 3 with six RBI’s including a grand slam, this time against Miami.
July 30th - Oklahoma City boosted their pitching rotation by making a move for LA’s former pitcher of the year Lou Murphy. Having returned from injury Murphy was pitching well (2-0, 1.26 ERA in three starts) but with the emergence of Max Castle he was deemed expendable, allowing Los Angeles to deal him before he became a Free Agent at seasons end. The trade sent 5 minor league players including BNN top 100 prospects, SP Raul Vazquez and 1B Clarence Davis to Los Angeles while Murphy moved in the opposite direction.
August 6th - the injury bug hit Ray Ware yet again, doctors diagnosed a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament which ended his season and would put him on the shelf for another 12 months.
September 1st - Sanfrancisco pitcher David Rocha struck out 15 batters verses Las Vegas, he was still the only member of the 15K club also having previously achieved the milestone while pitching for Miami in 2016.
September 6th - Oklahoma City’s new look pitching rotation took a hit when newly acquired Lou Murphy suffered an elbow injury which ended his season and would keep him out for another six months. Murphy had not been able to capture his Los Angeles form after his move, going 2-4 with a 3.83 ERA in 7 starts after arriving in OKC and the injury threw the question of a contract extension up in the air.

[JayW UK]

2018 - Playoffs

Three of the Divisional Series went the full five games. In the east Boston met Atlanta for the second season in a row, with sour memories of the 2017 series fresh in their mind, the Pilgrims jumped on Atlanta ace, Vince Little, in the opener knocking him out of the game in the third inning and going on to win 7-1. Atlanta returned the favour the following night dismantling Boston in an 11-2 win. Games 3 and 4 in Boston followed a similar fashion although the scores were lower. Game 5 in Atlanta pitted the two aces against each other, Atlanta’s Vince Little got the better of Ed Hudson as the Flames ran out 5-2 winners to advance to the EL Pennant series. Detroit took on surprise package New Orleans, eventually taking the series in the deciding game. Brandon Bowman dealt the death blow when he took Marvin Ashley deep for a three-run homer in the 8th inning, finally breaking the hearts of the Blues fans and ending their magical season. Oklahoma City fought off Las Vegas in an exciting series that went the full five games, Juan Vasquez kept the Las Vegas bats quiet in the deciding game, pitching a 6 hit shutout ending the upstart Gamblers season. The series between Minneapolis and Los Angeles pitted the WL best offense (MIN) and defense (LA). Los Angeles took game 1 behind a strong pitching performance from Max Castle. The Minneapolis offense then came to life and steamrollered Los Angeles, scoring at least 8 runs in the next three games on their way to taking the series 3-1.

Atlanta faced Detroit in the Eastern league Pennant series, the Flames never let Detroit into the series, they took the first two games at home before going on the road and, despite dropping game 3 in extra innings, closed out the series 4-1. Minneapolis entered their fourth consecutive Western league Pennant series determined to prove their doubters wrong. They did just that, dominating division rivals and 100-game winners Oklahoma City, sweeping them aside 4 games to 0 to reach their first World Series.

Atlanta returned to the World Series (the first team to do so in NABL history) looking to go one further than in 2017 and win the fall classic. The series got off to the worst possible start when Minneapolis hammered them 10-3, Vince Little once again struggled. Game 2 went much smoother for the Flames as they ran out 6-2 winners to even the series. The Bears drew first blood when the series moved to Minneapolis, taking game 3 behind a strong pitching performance from Chris Bush (7.1 IP, 4H, 1ER, 1BB, 9K) and timely hitting by Alberto Ortiz. Atlanta bounced back to take games four, 8-4 and five, 5-3 before returning home on the verge of winning the World Series. Game 6 started well for Minneapolis when Claude Cummins (who had just two hits up until that point) parked a Joey McCullough fastball into the right field bleachers for a 3-run homer in the first inning. McCullough settled down after that, keeping Minneapolis off the board thereafter. Atlanta’s Luis Sanchez tied the game with a three-run shot of his own in the sixth. The bullpens took over from that point on, but the normally reliable Minneapolis defense let them down, making two errors in the 7th inning which allowed Glenn Hallam to score, giving the Flames a 4-3 lead. Ricky DeLong and Rodney Henderson shut the Bears out the rest of the way and the Atlanta Flames claimed their maiden World Series 4 games to 2.

2018 Playoff Recap

Divisional Series
EL: Atlanta 3-2 Boston, Detroit 3-2 New Orleans
WL: Minneapolis 3-1 Los Angeles, Oklahoma City 3-2 Las Vegas
Championship Series
EL: Atlanta 4-1 Detroit
WL: Minneapolis 4-0 Oklahoma City
World Series
Atlanta 4-2 Minneapolis

[JayW UK]

2018 – League Leaders and Season Awards

EL Batting Leaders
Hits
225 Luis Sanchez (ATL)
211 Brady Avery (BOS)
206 Johnny Pineda (MIA)
Batting Avg.
.347 Luis Sanchez (ATL)
.344 Brady Avery (BOS)
.342 Gabriel Mendez (IND)
Homeruns
39 Juan Santos (PHI)
37 Gabriel Mendez (IND)
36 Carlos Martinez (BOS)
RBI’s
131 Gabriel Mendez (IND)
105 Carlos Martinez (BOS)
103 Luis Sanchez (ATL)
Stolen Bases
38 Johnny Pineda (MIA)
37 Warren Dyer (TB)
37 Jose Muniz (IND)

EL Pitching Leaders
Wins
19 Vince Little (ATL)
18 Robinson Castro (WAS)
17 Billy Moss (CHI)
ERA
2.18 Carlos Correa (MIA)
2.32 Ed Hudson (BOS)
2.62 Vince Little (ATL)
Strikeouts
274 Carlos Correa (MIA)
229 Eric Parker (IND)
221 Vince Little (ATL)
Saves
43 Gerald Bridges (WAS)
43 Ernie Gregory (PHI)
42 Jonathan Fliehman (NO)

WL Batting Leaders
Hits
216 Netuno Ermida (SF)
208 Jonathan Russell (MIN)
204 Marcus Witt (DEN)
Batting Avg.
.350 Netuno Ermida (SF)
.338 Jonathan Russell (MIN)
.327 Dixon Bodean (KC)
Homeruns
33 Claude Cummins (MIN)
33 Gary Wilson (LV)
30 Maximo Nunez (PHO)
RBI’s
111 Alberto Ortiz (MIN)
104 Claude Cummins (MIN)
98 Ben Douglas (DEN)
Stolen Bases
56 Jonathan Russell (MIN)
42 Marshall Ayersome (MEM)
34 Kyung-Chor Park (OKC)

WL Pitching Leaders
Wins
20 Isreal Beasely (LV)
19 Anthony Barrett (MIN)
19 Max Castle (LA)
ERA
2.16 Max Castle (LA)
2.23 Anthony Barrett (MIN)
2.30 Jose Vasquez (OKC)
Strikeouts
258 Anthony Barrett (MIN)
227 Alfredo Flores (OKC)
220 David Rocha (SF)
Saves
49 Stephen Davis (LV)
42 Edgar Arrojo (KC)
39 Alfonso Vargas (SF)

Season Awards

Batting Champion – In the Eastern League Atlanta’s Luis Sanchez (.347) held off Boston’s Brady Avery (.344) and the Racers Gabriel Mendez (.342) to take the title. In the west Sanfrancisco star Netuno Ermida (.350) took the honour.
Homerun Champion – In the east Philadelphia slugger Juan Santos, finally won a home run title belting 39 homers. While in the west there was a tie for the title between Minneapolis outfielder Claude Cummins and Las Vegas right fielder Gary Wilson who both hit 33.
Outstanding Hitter – Indianapolis new boy Gabriel Mendez (.342, 37 HR, 131 RBI) took the title in the east. Over in the west Minneapolis 3B Alberto Ortiz (.313, 29 HR, 111 RBI) took the award ahead of Sanfrancisco’s Netuno Ermida (.350, 22 HR, 92 RBI + 33 SB)
Outstanding Pitcher – In the east, Atlanta pitcher Vince Little (19-11, 2.62 ERA, 7 complete games and 3 shutouts) held off Boston’s Ed Hudson (15-8, 2.32 ERA) to win his third Outstanding Pitcher award. In the west Minneapolis ace Anthony Barrett (19-5, 2.23 ERA, 258K) won his second consecutive award.
Rookie of the Year – Juan Fuentes (.293, 25 HR, 67 RBI) of Chicago took the eastern league award in a landslide while LA’s Alberto Lopez (.220, 21 HR, 67 RBI) won the award in the west.
Manager of the Year – Atlanta’s Jeff Taylor repeated as the eastern league winner for taking his Flames to the World Series title. In the west Oklahoma City manager Martin Martinez took the award for the Outlaws dominant regular season.
Glove Wizard Awards EL – P Marvin Ashley (NO) – C Raul Flores (MIA) – 1B Carlos Vazquez (MIA) – 2B Ronald MacKinney (CLE) – 3B Julio Matos (NO) – SS Javier Rodriguez (CLE) – LF Alan Miller (PHI) – CF Glenn Hallam (ATL) – RF Andres Cruz (NO)
Glove Wizard Awards WL – P Tim Carter (MEM) – C Alberto Ruiz (SEA) – 1B Simon Pyle (DAL) – 2B Marcus Witt (KC) – 3B Ramon Cortez (OKC) – SS Bernardo Reyes (SF) – LF Eric King (LA) – CF Marshall Ayersome (MEM) – RF Jeremy Williams (LV)

Interesting Fact - Phoenix Eagles starters Mike Marrero (7-20, 5.11 ERA) and Juan Sanchez (6-20, 4.97 ERA) became the first teammates to each lose 20 games in a season while San Jose pitcher Maxwell Hanson (5-23, 5.13 ERA) set a new NABL record for losses in a single season.

[JayW UK]

2019 Off-Season

In a relatively quiet offseason Dallas made headlines when they let manager Jose Porfeiro go, stating “the team had stagnated under his leadership and that it was time for a change”, the 2016 Western League Manager of the year was unceremoniously dumped after a second consecutive disappointing campaign. Porfeiro was said to be angry about being fired while also letting it be known through the media that he felt he was undermined by “certain senior players” and that “senior Front Office personnel had a vendetta against him”. Thus, the scene was set for a damaging war of words between all parties involved, which was not a good look for the team and put off many prospective candidates for the manager’s job. Eventually Dallas settled on Kevin Casey to fill the role, he had been cutting his managerial teeth at Orlando Rockets a minor league affiliate of New Orleans and many observers felt the appointment was a panic move destined to end badly for both team and manager. Two other teams were on the lookout for new managers, Kansas City, after Alfonso Miranda unexpectedly stepped down an away from baseball completely citing family reasons and Denver who chose not to extend incumbent manager Eddie Gray. The Tornadoes chose to stay within the organisation (no doubt impressed with the results Atlanta had after hiring bench coach Jeff Taylor) by promoting their own Bench Coach Hector Guerra to be their new manager. Denver chose to go the veteran manager route by luring Tom Heitman away from Miami, his impressive resume included four playoff appearances with three division titles in his five years at the Everglades.
Denver also made a splash in free agency, enticing two-time Outstanding Hitter award winner Andrew Parker to town on a 2-year deal. The Wildcats then focused on their pitching, aggressively chasing former Minneapolis ace Anthony Barrett the two-time Outstanding Pitcher award winner, eventually bringing him on board with a 5 year $97M deal. Minneapolis wasted little time after losing Barrett by bringing in Ron Titley from Phoenix on a 4 year $77M deal to replace their ace, he would join second year starter Dave Cahill, Anibal Ramirez and Frank Tuzzi to form one of the best rotations in the league. Vicente Padilla signed on with Oklahoma City after leaving Washington in a deal ($34M over 2 years) that many believed was an overpay by the Outlaws. Las Vegas lost star Catcher Robin Ashburn, who signed with San Diego on a bumper deal at $110.6M over six years. One player who didn’t get the deal he was hoping for was pitcher Lou Murphy, after injuring his elbow the previous season he had been released by Oklahoma City when they decided not to take a risk and offer an extension to his contract. After working back to fitness Murphy found his options to be very limited with most teams wary of his elbow and unwilling to give the now 38-year-old former Pitcher of the year, more than a one year prove-it deal. Eventually he settled on Las Vegas and signed for $3.35M for the season in the hopes of proving his fitness and getting one last multi-year contract.
As the offseason moved on to the draft the general consensus was that 2019 draft class did not contain many blue-chip players but there was still talent to be found. San Jose drafted another college pitcher, this time USC’s Chris Romero, first overall while Phoenix also tabbed a Californian college pitcher, Manny Garza of Cal-St Fullerton, third overall. The top position player taken was Ohio State’s 2B Dustin Polk who many scouts believed was already good enough for the majors, he was drafted sixth by San Diego. The Boston Pilgrims snagged High School star Lucio Martinez 11th overall, he was widely considered the best Catching prospect in the draft.

[JayW UK]

2019 Regular Season

With 25-year-old Brady Avery (.354, 23 HR, 116 RBI) leading the way on offense and veteran Ed Hudson (16-6, 2.96) heading their rotation, Boston (87-75) won the Atlantic division for the third straight season and fourth time in five years, Washington (83-79) despite boasting one of the better pitching staffs in the Eastern league, finished second, held back by the third worst offense in the NABL. The Generals climbed ahead of New York who dropped back to third with 78 wins whilst Philadelphia continued to struggle, winning a franchise worst 70 games to bring up the rear.
The Central division was once again back in the hands of Indianapolis (95-67), the Racers who possessed the top ranked pitching staff in the NABL, led by Sean Williams (18-7, 3.21 ERA and Eric Parker 15-10, 2.81 ERA) and an offense powered by 1B Gabriel Mendez (.347, 41 HR, 112 RBI) led wire to wire winning their third division title and setting a new franchise record for wins along the way. Their nearest challenger Chicago could only muster 75 wins one ahead of a rejuvenated Cleveland team, who’s 74 wins was at least twelve better than any total posted in the previous four seasons. Bringing up the rear was Detroit with just 66 wins, their poor season (26 less wins than 2018) was headlined by subpar team defense (they led the league in errors) and a pedestrian offense (only Washington, San Diego and San Jose scored less runs).
The Southeast division race was over by mid-August as Atlanta (100-62), with star pitcher Vince Little (22-9, 2.44 ERA) setting records, cruised to the title winning by sixteen games over New Orleans. Although the Blues couldn’t repeat their heroics from the previous season and fell back to 84 wins, due to the struggles of most of the other teams in the Eastern league they still managed to qualify for the playoffs as the Wild Card entry for the second season running. Miami improved on their previous year but were still miles off the pace at 81-81 while Tampa Bay (79-83) dropped into the division basement despite winning two more games than in 2018.

In the Western League, Kansas City (95-67) paced by the NABL’s best offense, featuring slugging duo LF Francisco Martinez (.286, 40 HR, 122 RBI) and 22-year-old 1B Michael Jennings (.346, 37 HR, 110 RBI), finally broke through to take the Midwest division by one game over Oklahoma City (94-68) in a closely fought division race. Minneapolis fell away down the stretch to finish third with 91 wins and miss the playoffs for the first time since 2014. Denver, despite their off-season spending spree and owning the NABL’s highest payroll, slumped to a franchise worst 74-88 record with only RF Ben Douglas (.310, 32 HR, 120 RBI) performing up to expectations.
Dallas, under the stewardship of new manager Kevin Casey and boasting the league’s best pitching staff headlined by Earl Stone (21-6, 1.54 ERA) and Jose Marino (19-4, 2.58 ERA) stormed the Southwest division, coming from nowhere to win 99 games, their nearest rival, Phoenix trailed in a distant second with 82 wins, a 21-game improvement on their 2018 showing. Las Vegas, beset by injuries couldn’t repeat their 2018 form and slumped to just a 77-85 record while Houston fell back to 75-87, their offense unable to bail out their poor pitching. Memphis (74-88) improved their record by two games over the previous season but still dropped into the division basement.
In the Pacific division, Los Angeles (91-71) slugged their way to an NABL best 181 homeruns and once again beat Sanfrancisco (85-77) to the title. San Diego (72-90), despite the signing of Catcher Robin Ashburn, again struggled offensively hitting a league low 78 Homeruns. Seattle (64-98) slumped alarmingly behind the NABL’s worst pitching (with Tyler Little, 7-17, 6.28 ERA being the best of a poor bunch) whilst San Jose lost 100 games for the fifth season in a row, albeit showing improvement on their 2018 record, finishing at 61-101.

[JayW UK]

2019 Final Standings

Eastern League

Atlantic Division
Boston 87-75 *
Washington 83-79
New York 78-84
Philadelphia 70-92

Central Division
Indianapolis 95-67 *
Chicago 75-87
Cleveland 74-88
Detroit 66-96

Southeast Division
Atlanta 100-62 *
New Orleans 84-78 *
Miami 81-81
Tampa Bay 79-83

Western League

Midwest Division
Kansas City 95-67 *
Oklahoma City 94-68 *
Minneapolis 91-71
Denver 74-88

Southwest Division
Dallas 99-63 *
Phoenix 82-80
Las Vegas 77-85
Houston 75-87
Memphis 74-88

Pacific Division
Los Angeles 91-71 *
Sanfrancisco 85-77
San Diego 72-90
Seattle 64-98
San Jose 61-101

[JayW UK]

2019 Season Notes

April 3rd - during Philadelphia’s season opener RF Juan Santos smashed two homeruns (one of them a Grand Slam) driving in six, while almost single-handedly leading the Independence to victory over Cleveland.
April 5th - two days later Santos was at it again this time against New York, going 5 for 5 with two doubles and a pair of homeruns driving in all five of Philadelphia runs in a 5-3 win.
April 22nd - Minneapolis pitcher Dave Cahill became the second member of the 15K club, when he struck out 15 in a 7-1 Minneapolis win over Phoenix.
April 28th - Andrew Parker gets hit by a pitch in a game against San Diego and is diagnosed with a fractured thumb, the injury forces Parker to miss five weeks. At the time of the injury Denver’s new signing was off to a hot start, batting .345 with 6 HR’s with 13 RBI in his first 24 games for the club.
May 18th - Miami 1B Carlos Vazquez broke the single game RBI record, claiming four hits (2 doubles and 2 homeruns) and driving in 9!! in a 14-6 Miami victory over Atlanta.
May 29th - Washington Generals 3B Alfredo Orosco hit for the cycle, going 4 for 5 with 5 RBI in an 8-6 defeat at the hands of Detroit.
June 11th - Kansas City pitcher Chang-Lit Tsao was four outs away from perfection when he walked John Graham to end his perfect game bid. He still shut down San Diego the rest of the way to collect the no-hitter becoming the first Chinese born pitcher to accomplish the feat.
June 26th - with Detroit mired in last place in the division and having a disastrous season (their record stood at 23-52) manager Gil Meyer was fired. Detroit then tabbed Keith Bennett, skipper of Atlantic City Aces (New Orleans AAA affiliate) to be interim manager for the rest of the season. Bennett joined his brother Pat, 2017 WL manager of the year and current Sanfrancisco skipper, in becoming the first brothers to have managed in the NABL.
July 2nd - Dallas 1B William Kramer hammered four doubles in a win over Phoenix.
July 7th - Kansas City 2B Marcus Witt saw his 28-game hitting streak come to an end, he went 0 for 4 against his old team Denver. Witt’s current team Kansas City, had the last laugh though, winning the game 5-3.
July 28th - Indianapolis made a move to shore up their pitching staff for a playoff push by trading for Atlanta’s Matthew McIntosh. The move added another reliable arm to the Racers already strong rotation that included Eric Parker, Sean Williams and Loren Neal, the Flames in return received middle infield help in the form of 2B Cisco Sosa and top pitching prospect, 21-year-old Andrew Ross. McIntosh won the World Series in 2018 with the Flames and the Racers front office hoped his experience would prove invaluable to his new team come the playoffs.
August 23rd - Minneapolis pitcher Dave Cahill became only the second man to throw 15 strikeouts in a game twice and the first to accomplish the feat in a single season, when he struckout 15 against Houston.
August 25th - Detroit Outfielder Jeff Goff slugged three homeruns, including a Grand-Slam, and was responsible for driving in all six of Detroit’s runs, but still ended up on the losing side as poor pitching and almost comical defense consigned Detroit to an 8-6 defeat against Chicago.
August 26th - Oklahoma City placed big money offseason acquisition Vicente Padilla on the 60-day disabled list with a hamstring injury, it was his third and final visit of the season to the DL. In a disappointing injury hit season Padilla missed almost three months with various ailments and appeared in just 87 games, giving ammunition to those who thought he was not worth the contract handed to him.
September 25th - Memphis 1B Brian MacIntyre became the second player of the season to hit for the cycle. He went 4 for 5 collecting 6 RBI’s on the way to helping his Kings team rout Sanfrancisco 12-2.

[JayW UK]

2019 Playoffs

In the east, Boston faced Atlanta for the third season in a row and Indianapolis drew New Orleans while in the west Los Angeles faced off against playoff newbies Kansas City and Dallas took on Oklahoma City.
Atlanta comfortably took games 1 and 2 at home before going on the road to Boston, the Pilgrims kept their World Series hopes alive with a hard fought 4-3 victory in game three. Game four was close until the eighth inning where Atlanta plated five runs to take a lead they would not relinquish, taking the game 6-2 and the series 3-1. It was the third year in a row that the Pilgrims had exited the playoffs at the first hurdle, each time at the hands of the Flames. Indianapolis took care of business by cruising to a series sweep over wildcard entry New Orleans, the Blues batters were unable to solve the Racers pitching, scoring a paltry 3 runs and batting a collective .202 in the series.
Over in the West surprise team Dallas kept their impressive season going sweeping aside a strong Oklahoma City team, the series ended 3-0 and was as close as the score-line suggested, OKC unable to gain any traction while tumbling out of the playoffs in a sweep for the second year running (Minneapolis had ejected them from the Pennant series in a 4 game sweep the year before). Kansas City, making their first playoff appearance, shocked Los Angeles in game one thrashing them 12-2, LA answered right back taking game two 4-1. The series switched to Kansas City where the Tornadoes won game 3 and were two outs away from winning game four. In the top of the ninth losing 3-1, with 1 out and 1 on, LA’s Jeff Miller drilled an Edgardo Arrojo fastball into the seats in left field for a game tying Homerun, despite putting runners on base in both the 10th and 11th innings Kansas City couldn’t force home the winning run and eventually fell to defeat in the 12th inning. The series returned to LA for the deciding game five, where the Lynx put the series to bed, winning 5-2.

The Eastern league pennant series was a repeat of the 2017 series seeing Atlanta take on Indianapolis and like 2017 the series was another classic. Games 1 and 2 in Atlanta went the way of the home team while game three saw Indianapolis explode for a playoff record six home runs in a 14-3 thrashing of Atlanta. Game four went the way of Atlanta putting them 3-1 up before Indianapolis made sure the series would return to Atlanta by winning game 5. Game six was a pitching duel featuring Atlanta’s ace Vince Little and Indianapolis star Eric Parker, both pitchers went the distance but it was Parker who came out on top courtesy of a Gabriel Mendez 7th inning homerun. The series finale was another closely fought game, the Flames were leading 2-1 after 7 innings but it was that man again Gabriel Mendez who returned to haunt his old team with a game winning 3 run homer in the 8th sending Indianapolis to their first World Series and giving them sweet revenge for their 2017 series defeat. The Western league pennant featured two teams who had never been this far in the playoffs before, Dallas started well taking the first two games at home behind the pitching of Earl Stone and Jose Marino before dropping the next two in LA to even the series. Game 5 swung back and forth until Los Angeles took the lead in the 8th inning, after a nervy ninth in which Dallas loaded the bases and had a player thrown out at home, LA held on for the win that left them knowing they would need to win one of the remaining two games on the road to advance to the World Series. Game 6 pitted Game two starters Jose Marino and Max Castle against each other, no-one was disappointed as each pitcher racked up strikeouts and allowed no runs through seven innings. In the end it was Marino who blinked first serving up a Homerun to Joe Burt giving the Lynx the lead, another run scored against the bullpen in the 9th wrapped up the game and the series, ending a magical season for Dallas and sending LA to their first Fall Classic.

The World Series pitted two teams with excellent pitching and strong offenses against each other, with not much to separate the teams it would likely come down to small margins to decide who would win. Game 1 went to the home team, Indianapolis stifling LA’s potent offense in a 3-1 win. Game two was more of the same Indianapolis taking the game 5-2. The series then switched to Los Angeles for the next three games, the Lynx stopped Indianapolis 4-0 in game three to notch their first win of the series. Indianapolis slugger Gabriel Mendez, who up to that point had been quiet (2 hits 1 RBI) came to play in game four, lighting up the scoreboard to the tune of 4 hits 2 Homeruns and 5 RBI, helping the Racers to a 9-3 win. It was the turn of LA’s pitching in game five, Zander Pace pitched seven shutout innings while the bullpen salted the game away meaning the series would return to Indianapolis. That man Mendez once again was on fire in game six, torching the Lynx pitchers for 5 more hits and another 2 homeruns leading Indianapolis to a series clinching 7-1 win. Gabriel Mendez (12 hits, 4 HR, 10 RBI in 6 games) duly collected the World Series MVP award.

2019 Playoff Recap

Divisional Series
EL: Atlanta 3-1 Boston, Indianapolis 3-1 New Orleans
WL: Dallas 3-0 Oklahoma City, Los Angeles 3-2 Kansas City
Championship Series
EL: Indianapolis 4-3 Atlanta
WL: Los Angeles 4-2 Dallas
World Series
Indianapolis 4-2 Los Angeles

[JayW UK]

2019 Season Leaders and Awards

EL Batting
Hits
222 Brady Avery (BOS)
206 Alejandro Pichardo (ATL)
195 Jarrod Cross (DET)
Batting Avg
.354 Brady Avery (BOS)
.352 Johnny Pineda (MIA)
.347 Gabriel Mendez (IND)
Homeruns
41 Gabriel Mendez (IND)
37 Juan Fuentes (CHI)
33 Jorge Sanchez (NO)
RBI
116 Brady Avery (BOS)
113 Jorge Sanchez (NO)
112 Gabriel Mendez (IND)
Stolen Bases
51 Allen Aiton (CHI)
47 Johnny Pineda (MIA)
38 Jose Pereira (IND)

EL Pitching
Wins
22 Vince Little (ATL)
18 Sean Williams (IND)
16 Ed Hudson (BOS)
ERA
2.44 Vince Little (ATL)
2.55 Kenny Law (NO)
2.68 Jose Vasquez (NY)
Strikeouts
283 Eric Parker (IND)
222 Carlos Correa (MIA)
214 Sean Williams (IND)
Saves
43 Richard Bridgewater (IND)
37 Jonathan Fliehman (NO)
37 Jose Maldonado (NY)

WL Batting
Hits
214 Marcus Witt (KC)
200 Netuno Ermida (SF)
200 Ray Rowland (HOU)
Batting Avg
.346 Michael Jennings (KC)
.332 Don Bernard (MEM)
.326 Netuno Ermida (SF)
Homeruns
40 Francisco Martinez (KC)
37 Michael Jennings (KC)
32 Ben Douglas (DEN)
RBI
122 Francisco Martinez (KC)
120 Ben Douglas (DEN)
110 Michael Jennings (KC)
Stolen Bases
43 Yu-Shu Yang (MEM)
42 Jonathan Russell (MIN)
40 Ken King (KC)

WL Pitching
Wins
21 Earl Stone (DAL)
20 Juan Delgado (PHO)
19 Jose Marino (DAL)
ERA
1.54 Earl Stone (DAL)
2.04 David Rocha (SF)
2.29 AJ Merriweather (OKC)
Strikeouts
263 Dave Cahill (MIN)
259 Earl Stone (DAL)
249 Jose Marino (DAL)
Saves
48 Alfonso Vargas (SF)
45 Edgar Arroyo (KC)
42 Mark Powers (OKC)

Batting Champion – In the East, Boston’s Brady Avery (.354) just held off the challenge of Miami’s Jose Pineda (.352) while over in the west Kansas City’s 1B Michael Jennings (.346) finished comfortably ahead of his nearest challenger Memphis catcher Don Bernard (.332)
Homerun Champion – In the East Gabriel Mendez (IND) captured his first title hitting 41 homers four ahead of Chicago’s Juan Fuentes. Kansas City’s Francisco Martinez led the west with 40 homeruns, ahead of teammate Michael Jennings (37 HR) and Denver’s Ben Douglas (32 HR)
Outstanding Hitter – Indianapolis star Gabriel Mendez (.347, 41 HR, 112 RBI) captured the award in the east for the third time. While in the west 1B Michael Jennings (.346, 37 HR, 110 RBI) held off teammate LF Francisco Martinez (.286, 40 HR, 122 RBI) to cap off a brilliant season and win the award.
Outstanding Pitcher – In the east Vince Little (22-9, 2.44 ERA) comfortably held off the challenge of Indianapolis ace Eric Parker (15-10, 2.81 ERA) to collect his fourth award. In the west Earl Stone (21-6, 1.54 ERA) rode his NABL record low ERA to the title.
Rookie of the Year – Philadelphia new boy C Domingo Villanueva (.273, 21 HR, 69 RBI) won the award in the east. Over in the west the battle for the award was between San Diego Teammates Randy Moore and Dustin Polk with Moore (.292, 25 HR, 79 RBI) eventually getting the nod.
Manager of the Year – In the east, Atlanta manager Jeff Taylor collected his third straight award for leading his charges to an NABL best 100-62 record. In the west there could only be one winner, for his impressive work in uniting his team and leading them to the Western League Championship series the award went to rookie Dallas manager Kevin Casey.
Glove Wizard Awards EL – P Tsurayuki Yamaguchi (BOS) – C Mike Hinrichs (MIA) – 1B Bill Smith (NO) – 2B Ronald MacKinney (CLE) – 3B Ramon Cortez (TB) – SS Javier Rodriguez (CLE) – LF Alan Miller (PHI) – CF Jorge Sanchez (NO) – RF Andres Cruz (NO)
Glove Wizard Awards WL – P Alfredo Flores (OKC) – C Hirotada Yama****a (MIN) – 1B Brian MacIntyre (MEM) – 2B Dustin Polk (SD) – 3B Ken Thomason (SJ) – SS Kanbe Kimura (DEN) – LF Yu-Shu Yang (MEM) – CF Jon Graham (SD) – RF Jonathan Baker (SEA)

Interesting Facts – New Orleans CF Jorge Sanchez (.306, 33 HR, 113 RBI + 33 SB) became the second player to record 30 homeruns and 30 stolen bases in a single season, joining former New Orleans star Andrew Parker who achieved the feat back in 2014