NABL a History

[JayW UK]

2020 Off-Season

Charles B Dolan and his backers were back, once again trying to lure an NABL team to St. Louis. This time the focus of their attention was the Memphis Kings who were still struggling to attract fans through the turnstiles, only once in their short history had they broken the 1.5M attendance mark (2018) when most other NABL clubs were attracting in excess of 2.5M. Unfortunately for Dolan the Kings owner, Bob Hannigan, a billionaire Texan, had another bid for his team that was far more attractive to him. The offer, from a group based in Austin, Texas would not require Hannigan to give up control of his ball club (Dolan’s offer did, as he wanted to buy the franchise outright) and also offered the Kings use of a state-of-the-art domed stadium that was under construction. Due to be opened in late 2020, the Austin Lonestar Dome would have a capacity of 40,200 and offer 100 luxury suites, giving plenty of opportunity for generating revenue, something the Kings had always struggled with. Armed with this deal, Hannigan set about securing approval from the Commissioner’s office for his Kings franchise to move from Memphis to Austin, the proposed date for the move would be January 2021 giving the club ample time to be ready to start play in their new home on opening day 2021. Approval for the move duly arrived and so Charles Dolan and his consortium were once again looking for a way to procure an NABL franchise for St. Louis.
While the Memphis to Austin move was being thrashed out the business of the NABL continued as usual. Just days after their crushing World Series loss, Los Angeles were rocked by the resignation of Manager Angel Miranda amid rumours of extra marital affairs and imminent divorce proceedings. The Lynx moved quickly to replace him appointing Mario Sanchez as the new skipper, Sanchez had been a success while managing at Tulsa Rattlesnakes (Washington’s AAA affiliate) guiding them to the AAA championship twice, before being lured away by LA. Despite interim manager Keith Bennett’s relative success (the Giants went 43-43 under his stewardship) Detroit decide to release him and name former Cleveland and San Jose skipper Allen McGuire as their new manager, many observers questioned if McGuire’s abrasive personality would be a good fit in Detroit.
The first player movement involved Cleveland trading away starting Third Baseman Gary Cox and defensive stud 2B Millard Bly to Sanfrancisco for star outfielder Netuno Ermida and veteran reliever Curt Rice, this move was partly motivated by the need to open playing time on the roster for a slew of promising youngsters including CF Dominique Boutin Jr, 3B Richie Rambeaux, 2B Ronald McKinney and 2018 first round pick LF Chandler Harrington. Denver once again splashed the cash, signing Outfielder Charlie May to a 7 year $140M deal. Dallas couldn’t agree terms on a new deal with slugging First Baseman Tony Diaz, allowing Washington to steal in and sign him away for a massive $105M over six years, a hefty price to pay for the 32-year-old, especially for a team that had posted a -$17.1M operating loss the previous season, as the Generals had. Next to move was Los Angeles 2B Jeff Miller, who left the Western League Champions for Florida, signing a lucrative 2-year deal to return to Tampa Bay. The other Florida club Miami, lost one of their own stars when 1B Carlos Vazquez signed a 2 year $34.5M deal with New Orleans, while the Blues lost starting pitcher Marvin Ashley to Kansas City, he signed for $77M over the next five years. Kansas City lost power hitting LF Francisco Martinez to Philadelphia, Martinez parlayed his stellar 2019 season into a deal for $40M over two years, the offer he received was too rich for the Tornadoes to match so they had to reluctantly let him go. San Diego Outfielder Bryan Lamond upped sticks and moved to division rivals Seattle Pioneers in a deal worth $99M over five years, many San Diego fans were upset with the front office for allowing Lamond to leave, but in truth there was little chance him staying in Southern California, as he had stated on numerous occasions that he was unhappy and wanted to be closer to his family in Oregon. Pitcher Lou Murphy turned his decent healthy campaign in Las Vegas (14-12, 3.52 ERA) into a 1 year $11.5M deal with Denver while Los Angeles added to their already impressive pitching staff by acquiring LHP Jimmy Chien from San Jose for two prospects, SS Julio Zuniga and LF Gabriel Hudson.
The 2020 draft boasted two all-American High School players and several quality College players for teams to choose from. Highly touted two sport High School star Brandon Davis was an interesting case as he had made it clear he wanted to pursue his dreams of a Football career by honouring his North Carolina Scholarship over a career in baseball. However, there were still teams willing to take the chance on him come draft night, it was just a case of who would jump first. High School player Carlos Fierro and North Carolina State’s Sam Lloyd were the top pitchers according to the scouts while USC’s Ben Cox was the best position player available.
In a move that surprised many people the San Jose Spartans drafted Arkansas State’s Randall Jones, a slick defensive 3B but with only average offensive tools, Seattle jumped at the chance to draft High School pitcher Carlos Fierro next while in a move that mystified many, Detroit drafted High School 3B Brandon Davis, despite him once again stating his intention to forego baseball and sign with North Carolina to play football. In a move that continued the theme of questionable decisions, Philadelphia plucked CF Dave Welch from Cal-State Fullerton fourth overall, while Welch was not a bad player, he did have a reputation of being un-coachable. San Diego picked top pitching prospect Sam Lloyd with the fifth pick, he projected to be a power pitcher with good control. Denver eventually ended USC 1B Ben Cox’s surprising slide, when they tabbed him with the sixteenth pick.

[JayW UK]

2020 Regular Season

The Atlantic division battle was a hard fought one, between Philadelphia, with their powerful offense carried by RF Juan Santos (.314, 39 HR, 116 RBI) and LF Francisco Martinez (.269, 35 HR, 101 RBI) and Washington who leaned on a pitching staff led by Lee Braxton (16-7, 2.19 ERA). Entering the last three game series of the season, Philadelphia and Washington were separated by only one game and were due to play each other. Washington drew first blood when they won game one, putting them two games clear of Philadelphia with two to play, however the Independence wouldn’t go quietly taking the next two games to leave both teams tied at season’s end with identical 81-81 records. The one game playoff between the teams was held in Washington after they won the coin toss to decide the venue of the playoff, the game itself was an anti-climax as the Generals cruised to an 8-2 victory and secured playoff baseball for the first time since the 2014 season. New York finished third with a 79-83 record after a disappointing September saw them drop out of the division race, the Senators would have to wait at least another year for that elusive first playoff berth. Defending division champions Boston brought up the rear with a 74-88 record, an awful start to the season (only 18 wins through May 31st) scuppered their chances of a fourth consecutive division title.
Defending world champions Indianapolis (94-68) with the league’s #1 pitching staff headlined by Eric Parker (21-6, 1.72 ERA) held off the surprising challenge of Cleveland (89-73) to take the Central division crown. The Corsairs magical campaign, their first ever winning season, was all-the-more-sweet because three of their main contributors were young home-grown talents who were ably led by new signing Netuno Ermida (.312, 22 HR, 78 RBI) and veteran holdovers Catcher Culley Clare and 1B Albert Massey (despite an injury hit campaign). Chicago (84-78) improved on their 2019 showing but still finished third while Detroit collapsed once again, to an Eastern league worst 67-95 record.
In the Southeast division the status quo was maintained as Atlanta (88-74), with Jason McCullough (20-7, 2.76 ERA) and Vince Little (18-11, 2.89 ERA) quietly going about their business, won their third straight division title ahead of New Orleans (83-79) who for the third season running finished runner up to the Flames. Miami (78-84) finished third ahead of Tampa Bay who endured their fifth straight losing season finishing with a 74-88 record.

The Midwest division provided two playoff teams for the fourth year in a row. Oklahoma City took the division crown with a record of 106-56, becoming the first team with multiple 100-win seasons in NABL history. OKC’s key to success was their pitching with A.J Merriweather (18-9, 2.59 ERA), Bill Warner (18-9, 2.83 ERA) and Alfredo Flores (15-4, 2.94 ERA) particularly impressive. Denver improved drastically from their 2019 showing as their expensively assembled squad finally began to play like the stars they were. The Wildcats won 25 games more than in 2019 to finish with 99 wins and narrowly miss out on joining the Outlaws as the second team with multiple 100-win seasons on their resume. Despite strong campaigns from the likes of 1B Michael Jennings (.353, 38 HR, 105 RBI) and P Marvin Ashley (18-5, 2.76 ERA), Kansas City (91-71) couldn’t build on their impressive 2019 season, and although they won only four games fewer than the year before they dropped to third in the division. Even with LF Claude Cummins (.265, 46 HR, 114 RBI) launching the ball to all points Minneapolis (83-79) dropped into the division basement for the first time in franchise history.
Las Vegas returned to the top of the pile in the Southwest division, taking the crown with a record of 87-75. No other club in the division posted a winning record, Houston continued their slide from contender to also-ran to finish with a 73-89 record. Dallas suffered a miserable season to finish with a 72-90 record, a full 27 wins fewer than 2019. The Kings finished their last season in Memphis with a disappointing 70-win campaign, the club once again struggling to draw the fans to the ballpark with less than 1.5M attending their home games. Phoenix slumped from 82 to 69 wins to finish in last place for the second time in three seasons.
In the Pacific division, Los Angeles became the fifth club to win 100 games in a season taking the crown with a 102-60 record. Led by the pitching of twin aces Max Castle (19-7, 2.49 ERA) and Tim Hensley (19-9, 3.49 ERA) the Lynx cruised to their third straight division title, wrapping up proceedings in the first week of September as no other club finished with a winning record. San Diego were the closest at 79-83 a huge 23 games off the pace, Sanfrancisco posted a franchise worst record, finishing 73-89 while Seattle improved slightly to finish 67-95. San Jose had something to celebrate despite finishing in the division basement for the sixth consecutive season, their 63-99 finish was the first time the club had lost less than 100 games in a season.

[JayW UK]

2020 Final Standings

Eastern League

Atlantic Division
Washington 82-81* +
Philadelphia 81-82 +
New York 79-83
Boston 74-88

Central Division
Indianapolis 94-68*
Cleveland 89-73*
Chicago 84-78
Detroit 67-95

Southeast Division
Atlanta 88-74*
New Orleans 83-79
Miami 78-84
Tampa Bay 74-88

Play-In Game
+ Washington defeats Philadelphia to claim Atlantic Division title.

Western League

Midwest Division
Oklahoma City 106-56*
Denver 99-63*
Kansas City 91-71
Minneapolis 83-79

Southwest Division
Las Vegas 87-75*
Houston 83-79
Dallas 72-90
Memphis 70-92
Phoenix 69-93

Pacific Division
Los Angeles 102-60*
San Diego 79-83
Sanfrancisco 73-89
Seattle 67-95
San Jose 63-99

[JayW UK]

2020 Season Notes

Spring training was not kind to Denver as Andrew Parker suffered an elbow ligament injury which shelved him for the entire season, another player to suffer an injury was Cleveland 1B Albert Massey who suffered a fractured hand when he was hit by a pitch, the injury would delay the start of his season until May. Cleveland also suffered, injuries to pitchers Ernesto Caraballo and Otto Vidovic forcing them to scour the free agent market for help. Former fan favourite Leonardo Torres was signed to a 1-year 800K deal, Torres was originally traded to Houston as part of the deal that brought Albert Massey to Cleveland, but after 18 months in Houston he was a free agent again and found himself making an emotional return to Cleveland.
April 27th – Cleveland’s young SS Richie Rambeaux lit up the scoreboard, collecting six RBI’s and smashing a pair of homeruns including a game winning walk-off grand slam !! as Cleveland overcame New Orleans 7-5.
May 29th – first baseman Albert Massey suffered a minor back injury but it was enough for Cleveland to place him on the DL, since his return from injury he had struggled mightily, batting a pitiful .057 (3 for 53) - in 17 games and so when his stint on the DL was over Massey found himself optioned to AAA.
June 7th - Las Vegas 2B Earl Malone set a franchise record, he collected six hits in a game against Memphis, he went 6-7 with 1 HR and 3 RBI’s helping the Gamblers to a 6-2 win.
June 13th - Tampa Bay’s Alberto Ruiz became the sixth player to hit for the cycle when he collected 4 hits and 7 RBI’s leading Tampa Bay to an 11-3 win over Boston.
June 18th - New Orleans 1B Carlos Vazquez capped off a wild game against Boston when he launched a walk-off Grand-Slam in the bottom of the 11th giving New Orleans a 12-8 victory.
July 1st – LF Claude Cummins launched 3 Homeruns and collected 5 RBI to lead his Minneapolis Bears to victory over Los Angeles.
July 17th – in an entertaining game in Tampa between the Hurricanes and New Orleans, visiting CF Jorge Sanchez belted 2 homeruns, a Grand-Slam which sent the game to extra innings, and a three run shot in the 11th which gave the Blues an 11-8 lead. He still finished on the losing side though as the Hurricanes rallied to tie proceedings in the bottom of the 11th and win the game 12-11 one inning later.
July 22nd – New Orleans star CF Jorge Sanchez’s season came to a screeching halt when he suffered a broken kneecap making a defensive play against Atlanta.
July 26th - Jonathan Baker of Los Angeles became the seventh player to hit for the cycle, completing the feat in a loss against Houston.
July 27th - Phoenix starter Shane Miller pitched a NO-HITTER in a game against Las Vegas, the following day Chicago’s Joe Gratten matched the feat shutting down Cleveland.
August 11th - Cleveland recalled Albert Massey from AAA, in 54 games he had hit .254 with 8 Homeruns and had been swinging the bat close to his best in August.
August 12th - Las Vegas pitcher Adam Reid pitched the third NO-HITTER of the season, taking 130 pitches to blank San Diego.
August 16th - Denver ace Anthony Barrett became the third member of the 15K club, striking out 15 in a win over Sanfrancisco.
August 21st - Indianapolis catcher Mark Abraham slugged 3 homeruns in a game against Detroit, including a walk off Grand-Slam!!
August 29th - Denver’s rotation took a hit when Lou Murphy’s excellent season (16-8, 2.79 ERA and 3 shutouts in 27 games) came to an abrupt end when he suffered a shoulder injury.
September 10th - Minneapolis star Dave Cahill became only the second pitcher to toss a PERFECT GAME, he kept the opposition batters off balance all day collecting 8 strikeouts on the way to leading his Bears to victory over San Jose.
September 11th - in a bad day for Detroit, after a dispiriting loss to rivals Cleveland, pitchers Benedict Lewis and Don Smith got into an altercation with fans outside the stadium. The ugly incident left Smith with a broken hand and two fans needing hospital treatment, both players were suspended without pay for the rest of the season while team manager Allen McGuire publicly vowed that neither of them would ever play for Detroit again.
September 22nd - an unprecedented fifth NO-HITTER of the season was hurled by Denver star Anthony Barrett when he dismantled Oklahoma City.
October 1st - San Jose finally lost patience with 2016 first overall pick Chris Wilson releasing him after yet another disappointing season at AAA (.209, 4 HR, 22 RBI over 112 games) and an underwhelming 57-game major league career.

[JayW UK]

2020 Playoffs

Cleveland’s first ever playoff game ended in defeat when they went down 4-1 in Atlanta, they won their first playoff game and evened the series the following night courtesy of a 10th inning homerun from 1B Albert Massey. The series moved to Cleveland where the Corsairs took game 3 behind a strong pitching performance from Jaime Hurtado only for the Flames to even the series in extra innings the following night. The deciding game was another close affair until Cleveland broke the game wide open with a five-run outburst in the 7th inning, eventually holding on to win 8-5 and advance to the Pennant series. The Corsairs opponents were Indianapolis who’s journey to the Pennant series was much smoother, sweeping the Washington Generals aside in three lopsided games.
In the west, Los Angeles took on the wildcard entry Denver and were shocked, losing the series 3 games to 1, being well beaten in both games played at home after splitting the first two in Denver. Top seed Oklahoma City took on Las Vegas in a repeat of the 2018 Divisional Series and much like then, the Gamblers had no answer for the Outlaws, going down meekly in four.

The Eastern league Pennant series pitted division foes Cleveland and Indianapolis against each other. In a series that did not disappoint, Cleveland took game one on the road 8-5 before succumbing in extra innings in game two. Game 3 back in Cleveland went the way of defending champions Indianapolis by the score of 4-3, game four once again went to extra innings this time Cleveland coming out on top, winning on a Netuno Ermida walk off homerun in the 14th. The Corsairs took game five in much less dramatic fashion, shutting out the Racers 5-0 to put them on the verge of the World Series. The Racers would not give up their hold on the title easily and took game six to set up a winner takes all game seven. In a dramatic back and forth affair it was Cleveland who came out on top when, with runners on second and third with two out in the ninth, offseason acquisition Curt Rice struck out Gabriel Mendez to end the game and continue Cleveland’s magical season. In the west, the Pennant series was no less dramatic with Oklahoma City storming out to a 3-0 lead before Denver found a way to stay alive in game four. Down 3-0 in the seventh inning first Ben Douglas then Charlie May hit homeruns to tie the score before veteran OF Steve Wolfe scored the winning run on a Ben Douglas sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth. Game five was a pitcher’s duel between OKC star A.J Merriweather and Denver’s Anthony Barrett, the game remained scoreless through six before Denver’s bats got to Merriweather, scoring 4 off him in the seventh and a further 2 in the eighth to hand him his first loss in the playoffs. Game six, back in Oklahoma City was never close with Alfredo Flores pitching an almost flawless game, his only blemish being a Ben Douglas homerun, taking his team to a 4-1 win and leading OKC to their first World Series.

Cleveland’s dream season continued into the World Series as they took game one in Oklahoma City 5-3 behind a solid start from Ernesto Caraballo (6 inns, 2 ER) and an eighth inning 2 run double from Richie Rambeaux. OKC recovered to take game two, Rick Lynch got the start and shut down Cleveland’s offense, allowing just 1 run over eight strong innings before handing over to closer Jesse Jones to shut the door. Game 3 in Cleveland was an instant classic, both Starters went seven innings allowing just a single run each before handing over to the bullpens, the Outlaws struck first when Cleveland LF Chandler Harrington misplayed a Daniel Roldan line drive allowing Jose Cruz to score from first and give OKC the lead. Robert Grove struck out all three Cleveland batters he faced in the eighth before handing the ball over the star closer Jesse Jones, he struck out 1B Albert Massey before Ronald MacKinney punished an errant slider by taking him deep to tie the score and send game into extra innings. After a scoreless 10th Cleveland got to the OKC pitching again in the 11th putting two men on base with no-one out, Mark Powers did his best to get out of the jam by retiring the next two batters before Culley Clare managed to squeeze a single through the infield to allow Netuno Ermida to score from third sending the Cleveland faithful home elated. Games 4 and 5 belonged to Oklahoma City, their offense dismantled the Cleveland pitching with dominant displays of hitting, winning by scores of 14-2 and 11-3. With their team coming off two dominant performances and one win away from a World Series title, the Oklahoma City fans had Sherriff Field rocking for game six. Staked to an early 5 run lead everything appeared to be a walk in the park for starter Ball Warner until he ran into trouble in the fifth inning allowing Cleveland to score four times. OKC plated three more runs in the seventh to run the lead to 8-4, but Cleveland once again stormed back, scoring twice and loading the bases with one out in the eighth before Robinson Cruz induced Chandler Harrington to hit into a double play to escape the jam. The ninth inning by contrast was a walk in the park for closer Jesse Jones as he retired the Corsair batters in order to collect the save and deliver the World Series to Oklahoma City.

2020 Playoff Recap

Divisional Series
EL: Cleveland 3-2 Atlanta, Indianapolis 3-0 Atlanta
WL: Denver 3-1 Los Angeles, Oklahoma City 3-1 Las Vegas
Championship Series
EL: Cleveland 4-3 Indianapolis
WL: Oklahoma City 4-2 Denver
World Series
Oklahoma City 4-2 Cleveland

[JayW UK]

2020 Season Leaders and Awards

EL Batting
Hits
226 Alejandro Pichardo (ATL)
209 Johnny Pineda (MIA)
198 Juan Santos (PHI)
Batting Avg
.358 Jarrod Cross (DET)
.356 Alejandro Pichardo (ATL)
.340 Luis Sanchez (ATL)
Homeruns
39 Juan Santos (PHI)
35 Francisco Martinez (PHI)
30 Juan Fuentes (CHI)
RBI
116 Juan Santos (PHI)
101 Francisco Martinez (PHI)
100 Brian Watson (MIA)
Stolen Bases
48 Jose Muniz (IND)
38 Dominique Boutin Jr (CLE)
37 Brandon Bowman (DET)

EL Pitching
Wins
21 Eric Parker (IND) *
20 Jason McCullough (ATL)
18 Vince Little (ATL)
ERA
1.72 Eric Parker (IND) *
2.01 Ed Hudson (BOS)
2.15 Loren Neal (IND)
Strikeouts
263 Eric Parker (IND) *
244 Ed Hudson (BOS)
217 Loren Neal (IND)
Saves
40 John Ellis (CHI)
38 Richard Bridgewater (IND)
38 Wally Erickson (TB)

WL Batting
Hits
212 Dixon Bodean (KC)
208 Dustin Polk (SD)
207 Marcus Witt (KC)
Batting Avg
.353 Michael Jennings (KC)
.348 Dixon Bodean (KC)
.321 Marcus Witt (KC)
Homeruns
46 Claude Cummins (MIN)
38 Michael Jennings (KC)
36 Ben Douglas (DEN)
RBI
114 Claude Cummins (MIN)
111 Dixon Bodean (KC)
105 Michael Jennings (KC)
Stolen Bases
48 Jonathan Russell (MIN)
38 Dustin Polk (SD)
37 Ken King (KC)

WL Pitching
Wins
21 Anthony Barrett (DEN) *
19 Max Castle (LA)
19 Tim Hensley (LA)
ERA
2.04 Anthony Barrett (DEN) *
2.49 Max Castle (LA)
2.49 Jimmy Chien (LA)
Strikeouts
266 Anthony Barrett (DEN) *
262 Jose Marino (DAL)
245 Pedro Escobar (SD)
Saves
45 Jesse Jones (OKC)
44 Jose Maldonado (LA)
42 Edgar Arroyo (KC)

Batting Champion – In the East Detroit’s Jarrod Cross (.358) just managed to hold off Atlanta’s Alejandro Pichardo (.356) to win the title. The Western League title was between teammates Michael Jennings (.353) and up and coming star Dixon Bodean (.348) of Kansas City.
Homerun Champion – in a battle between Philadelphia teammates, Juan Santos (39) won his second title ahead of former KC slugger Francisco Martinez (35). Over in the west Minneapolis slugger Claude Cummins (46) also won his second title finishing well ahead of his nearest challengers, Kansas City’s Michael Jennings (38) and Denver’s Ben Douglas (36)
Outstanding Hitter – Philadelphia’s Juan Santos (.314, 39 HR, 116 RBI) collected his second Outstanding Hitter award in the Eastern League while In the West, Kansas City star Michael Jennings (.353, 38 HR, 105 RBI) won his second consecutive title.
Outstanding Pitcher – In a year of dominant pitching both Outstanding Pitchers won the triple crown (wins, ERA and Strikeouts) in the east the award was taken by Indianapolis star Eric Parker (21-6, 1.72 ERA, 263 K) while the western award went to Denver’s Anthony Barrett (21-7, 2.04 ERA, 256 K) his third such award.
Rookie of the Year – Garland Reynolds (.312, 7 HR, 57 RBI) of Chicago won the award in the east whilst the western award went to San Jose’s Song-Shil Kim (.276, 15 HR, 68 RBI) who just edged San Diego’s 22-year-old pitching phenom Pedro Escobar (16-13, 3.28 ERA) in the voting.
Manager of the Year – The Eastern League award could only be given to one man, Cleveland’s Paul Ladd, after he took the Corsairs all the way to the World Series. In the west, Oklahoma City manager, Martin Martinez, won his second award for leading his team to World Series glory.
Glove Wizard Awards EL – P Mike Marrero (MIA) – C Max Johnson (NY) – 1B Hiroya Sato (BOS) – 2B Nate Lucas (PHI) – 3B Ramon Cortez (TB) – SS Javier Rodriguez (CLE) – LF Chandler Harrington (CLE) – CF Carlos Sandoval (TB) – RF Netuno Ermida (CLE)
Glove Wizard Awards WL – P Broderick Brady (SEA) – C Rodrigo Lopez (PHO) – 1B Bill Smith (DAL) – 2B Marcus Witt (KC) – 3B Jose Montoya (HOU) – SS Bernardo Reyes (SF) – LF Jose Cruz (MIN) - CF Tom Lamb (KC) – RF Ryan Green (MEM)

Interesting Facts - Five players, Shane Miller (PHO), Joe Gratten (CHI), Adam Reid (LV), Dave Cahill (MIN) and Anthony Barrett (DEN) all pitched NO-HITTERS during 2020, setting a new NABL record for NO-HITTERS in a single season.

[JayW UK]

2021 Off-Season

Detroit entered the off-season with a dilemma, what to do with the two players involved in the unsavoury incident with fans in September, manager Allen McGuire had made it very clear that they could never play for Detroit again. With the pair having no future in the motor city, GM Garry Mascoll set about trying to deal them while recouping some value. First to go was reliever Don Smith, he was traded along with top 3B prospect Bartolo Bordalo to Philadelphia for Slugger Francisco Martinez and his 20M salary. Austin took Benedict Lewis off Detroit’s hands for two picks in the upcoming draft (Austin’s 3rd and 7th round picks) with $3M also going to Austin to cover salary costs. The exit of these two players was not the end of Detroit’s player exodus, first Batting champ Jarrod Cross chose to move on accepting Denver’s $103M, 6-year contract offer then SS Mitchell Hendrickson also moved out west joining Jarod Cross in Denver for $48M over three years before star closer Min-Jae Choi left town for New York signing for $19M over two years. Choi joined New York for a lot less than Detroit were offering stating it was with a “heavy heart” he was leaving but he just couldn’t work with manager Allen McGuire (a common theme surrounding McGuire at every one of his managerial posts). Tampa Bay pulled off the biggest coup, luring Philadelphia star Juan Santos to Florida for $78M over 4 years, Philadelphia also cut ties with veteran catcher Aleddin Cobanuglu who caught on in Cleveland, signing a 1 year $9.9M deal to provide stability behind the plate. In the west Oklahoma City made waves when they signed pitcher Juan Delgado to a 2 year $36M deal, Delgado had left town acrimoniously three years previously but during the intervening years the bad feelings had been resolved paving, the way for him to return. Oklahoma City also acquired Atlanta 3B Luis Sanchez on a 2 year $33M deal to replace the outgoing Joe Rutherford, the Outlaws also lost star closer and two-time World Series winner Jesse Jones, he signed a 3 year $25.5M deal to become the new Minneapolis closer, the Bears also bolstered their rotation adding Lou Murphy on a 1 year $9.8M deal. Andrew Parker was released by Denver when his contract expired after missing the entire 2020 season with injury, working his way back to fitness he settled on a 1 year $10M deal with Chicago. Veteran outfielder Steve Wolfe was also sent packing from Denver, going to Sanfrancisco in a trade for CF Ralph Robinson and talented 1B prospect Jamie Boden. Wolfe was deemed as expendable after the acquisition of Jarrod Cross and the chance to acquire the services of one of Sanfrancisco’s top young prospects was too good an opportunity to pass up for the Wildcats. Washington made headlines again, posting a -$23M operating loss despite making the playoffs and firing their manager as well. The Generals tabbed Keith Bennett (43-43 in his career as interim manager at Detroit in 2019) as their new skipper. Keith’s brother Pat (2017 WL Manager of the Year and World Series winner) was persuaded by Las Vegas to be their new bench coach, a fantastic move for them. Bennett would replace outgoing Jesus Espinoza who had been hired by Kansas City to be their new manager after their previous incumbent Hector Guerra had left to take over in Chicago.
Heading into the draft most of the conversation was about two college players, Vanderbilt pitcher Chris McInnes who most evaluators agreed, was the best pitching prospect since Max Castle and North Carolina 1B/RF Joey Buhler, who projected to be an average bat with power but offered excellent defense at two positions. Third Baseman Marc Baxter who showed advanced defensive ability at a young age to go with a decent bat, was the best of the high school prospects to declare. On draft night, as expected, Chris McInnes was first off the board, taken by San Jose (yet another pitcher taken high in the draft by the Spartans) Seattle grabbed top high schooler Marc Baxter second overall while Detroit fell in love with the potential of CF Ed Pappas and made him the third overall pick. The top high school pitcher Mike Powell was next off the board taken by Phoenix whilst Joey Buhler had to wait until the seventh pick before he heard his name called by Houston.
Going into the regular season all eyes were on the Western League, LA looked strong once more while Denver, having strengthened again, were expected to challenge OKC for the Midwest division title while Austin welcomed the Kings to Texas. In the east Cleveland’s kids were hoping to prove that 2020 was just the beginning and not a flash in the pan.

[JayW UK]

2021 Regular Season

For the first time in their history New York finished with a winning record (89-73) taking the Atlantic division by one game over Philadelphia (88-74). Despite the play of C Domingo Villanueva (.320, 31 HR, 115 RBI) and P Freddie Bankfield (16-5, 2.15 ERA), the Independence were eight games back from New York with just three weeks of the regular season left, they finished the strong (14-5) only just falling short, losing on the final day to finish as runners up for the second year in a row. Washington fell away from first to third finishing with 76 wins while Boston slumped from 74 to 68 wins to finish last again.
Cleveland’s kids proved that 2020 was not just a flash in the pan by winning the Central division for the first time since 2014 finishing with 104 wins, becoming the sixth team in NABL history to record a 100-win season. Veteran catcher Alaeddin Cobanoglu (31 HR, 85 RBI) proved to be a shrewd signing providing a steadying influence for the teams young core, the Corsairs also relied heavily on their pitching staff with Claudio Gonzales (14-1, 2.89 ERA), Ron Barnes (14-4, 3.01 ERA) and Keith Roberson (14-6, 3.38 ERA) all impressing. Indianapolis (98-64) led by 3B Gabriel Mendez (.364, 44 HR 141 RBI) and P Loren Neal (20-6, 2.64 ERA) won four more games than 2020 but finished as runners up to the Corsairs while Chicago (77-85) fell further away. The lone bright spot in Detroit was the play of LF Francisco Martinez (.299, 40 HR, 101 RBI) however the rest of the team struggled once more, as the Giants finished 68-94, the third straight sub-70 win season leading to the firing of manager Allen McGuire and GM Garry Mascoll.
In the Southeast division, in a surprising turn of events long time strugglers Tampa Bay, led by off-season acquisition Juan Santos (.317, 33 HR, 104 RBI) and SS Michael Matthews (.302, 25 HR, 102 RBI), stormed to the division title winning a franchise record 90 games, New Orleans led by 1B Carlos Vazquez (.293, 32 HR, 110 RBI) fell to 76-86 but still finished as runner up for the fourth straight year. Three-time defending division champs Atlanta, slumped to a franchise worst 73-89 record finishing third while Miami despite a great season from 1B Brian Watson (.307, 37 HR, 114 RBI) once again dropped into the division basement winning just 65 games

In the west, Midwest division foes Oklahoma City and Denver resumed their fierce rivalry, OKC (97-65) led by the pitching of A.J Merriweather (19-7, 3.05 ERA) eventually taking the division by two from Denver (95-67) who lost ace Anthony Barrett (19-7, 2.92 ERA) to injury for the final week of the season. Kansas City slumped to 81 wins despite boasting superstars 1B Michael Jennings (.312, 42 HR, 121 RBI) and LF Dixon Bodean (.382, 25 HR, 127 RBI), while Minneapolis once again brought up the rear, winning only 76 games.
The Kings relocated from Memphis to Austin and immediately felt at home winning a franchise record 83 games and taking the Southwest division crown, they drew nearly 3 million fans to their games in a highly successful first season in Texas. Las Vegas pushed Austin to the wire but came up short finishing with an 82-80 record, Phoenix were also in the mix but fell away to finish third with 80 wins after star 3B Wes Lauderdale (.270, 37 HR, 94 RBI) succumbed to injury. Houston dropped from second to fourth in the division finishing with a 70-92 record although the Stars future looked bright with the play of several youngsters, 21-year-old P Marc Birstall (16-2, 1.81 ERA), 20-year-old RF Angel Valdez (23 HR, 81 RBI) and 22-year-old 3B Jose Montoya (.277, 20 HR, 64 RBI) standing out the most. Dallas slumped to a disastrous 60-102 season their worst record since losing 68 games in 2014.
The Pacific division was won by Los Angeles for the fourth season in a row, the Lynx boasting the NABL’s top pitching staff featuring the likes of Max Castle (16-6, 2.43 ERA), Zander Pace (19-7, 2.30 ERA) and Luis Manuel Quinones (18-5, 2.40 ERA) cruised to the crown winning 105 games and finished 17 games ahead of runner up San Diego (88-74), Sanfrancisco (80-82) improved upon their 2020 performance but still finished third with a losing record. San Jose climbed out of the division basement for the first time in their history finishing fourth and collecting a franchise record 75 wins along the way, Seattle’s sad demise continued as they could only muster a 62-100 record to drop to the foot of the standings.

[JayW UK]

2021 Final Standings

Eastern League

Atlantic Division
New York 89-73*
Philadelphia 88-74
Washington 88-74
Boston 68-94

Central Division
Cleveland 104-58*
Indianapolis 98-64*
Chicago 77-85
Detroit 68-94

Southeast Division
Tampa Bay 90-72*
New Orleans 76-86
Atlanta 73-89
Miami 65-97

Western League

Midwest Division
Oklahoma City 97-65*
Denver 95-67
Kansas City 81-81
Minneapolis 76-86

Southwest Division
Austin 83-79*
Las Vegas 82-80
Phoenix 80-82
Houston 70-92
Dallas 60-102

Pacific Division
Los Angeles 105-57*
San Diego 88-74
Sanfrancisco 80-82
San Jose 75-87
Seattle 62-100

[JayW UK]

2021 Season Notes

Spring training was unkind to Andrew Parker for the second year in a row, Chicago’s new signing fractured his wrist forcing him to the DL for the first month of the season.
May 2nd - on a historic day in Austin the Kings played their first ever game at the Lonestar Dome hosting division rivals Houston, in front of a packed house (the official attendance was 38,901 but many who were there put the actual number as well over 40,000) the Kings led from start to finish in a comfortable 6-1 victory.
May 6th - New York CF Gabriel Robertson mashed 3 solo homeruns helping the Senators see off Chicago 5-4.
May 6th – Boston’s Brady Avery had a game to remember against Atlanta, going 5-6 with four doubles and 7 RBI’s including the game winning walk off RBI double in the 12th handing Boston a thrilling 12-11 victory.
May 8th - Washington slugger Tony Diaz suffered a side strain in a game against Boston sidelining him for 2 weeks
May 9th - Byron Martin hit for the cycle, collecting 5 hits helping LA dispose of Houston 8-4 also on the same day Andres Gutierrez of San Jose smashed 6 hits against Kansas City.
May 27th - Kansas City 2B Marcus Witt collected six hits of his own including a grand slam leading the Tornadoes to victory over divisional rivals Denver.
June 28th - Minneapolis star Jonathan Russell was held hitless by Los Angeles ending his 28-game hitting streak, the joint second longest such streak in NABL history.
July 3rd - Kansas City’s Dixon Bodean was held hitless by Las Vegas ending his hitting streak at 25 games.
July 12th - Tony Diaz suffered his second injury of the season, this time a strained hamstring forcing him to the DL for 3 weeks.
July 19th - after a dismal run of starts culminating in a six run, 1.1 inning effort, Minneapolis removed Lou Murphy from the starting rotation sending him to the bullpen. In 22 starts he had posted a 7-12 record with a 5.22 ERA (his career record was an impressive 102-68 in 223 starts with a 3.21 ERA) it was the first time Murphy had pitched out of the bullpen in his career.
July 21st - Cleveland parted ways with veteran Catcher Culley Clare, trading him to Sanfrancisco for 1B Alex Booth and RF prospect Adrian Munoz.
July 23rd - Sanfrancisco pulled off another trade, this time with New York, sending pitcher Steffen Kirk to the Senators for catcher Carl Lopez and former BNN No1 prospect Kane McKenzie. The Gold hoped a change of scenery would re-invigorate McKenzie, who’s career had stalled in New York’s minor league system (never having risen above A ball)
August 8th - on a historic night in New Orleans closer Edgar Arroyo collected save number 300, beating Minneapolis closer Jesse Jones (298) and the Racers Richard Bridgewater (293) to the milestone becoming the first player in NABL history to save 300 games.
August 12th - Tony Diaz suffered a third injury of the season, this time a partially torn Labrum, forcing Washington to place him on the 60-day DL ending his season.
August 13th - Dixon Bodean had his second 20 game hitting streak of the season stopped, this time at 21 games when he was held hitless by San Diego. Also on this day, Tampa Bay 3B Roberto Gonzalez had a big hand (3-4, 2B, Grand Slam and 8 RBI’s) in helping the Hurricanes thrash Atlanta 16-3.
August 17th - Kansas City’s Jesus DeLeon hit for the cycle, going 4-6 and collecting 5 RBI’s helping the Tornadoes to victory over Las Vegas
August 20th - Minneapolis closer Jesse Jones collected his 300th save becoming the second player in NABL history to reach the milestone.
August 23rd - Las Vegas LF Gary Wilson clubbed three homeruns and was responsible for driving in all the Gamblers runs in a 5-3 victory over Austin.
August 27th - When San Diego 2B Dustin Polk struck out in the third inning he became Denver starter Anthony Barrett’s 2000th strikeout victim. The first player to reach the milestone, Barrett got there in only 226 games.
September 17th - Andrew Parker’s frustrating injury plagued season ended with a torn hamstring, which in all likelihood would end his time in Chicago too.
September 18th - Richard Bridgewater became the third member of the 300 save club.
September 21st - Dallas rookie 2B Gregg Hopper showed his skills to the nation, going 3-4 with a double and two homeruns, driving in eight in a 12-5 Dallas victory over Seattle.
September 24th - Boston RF Brady Avery suffered a concussion when he collided with the outfield wall making a defensive play. The next day after consulting with Avery’s doctors, Boston placed him onto the DL ending his season.
September 26th - Jonathan Russell collected his 57th steal setting a new NABL record for steals in a season breaking his own mark set in 2018.

[JayW UK]

2021 Playoffs

The playoffs saw three teams make their debut, in the east first timers New York took on Cleveland while Tampa Bay in their playoff debut met Indianapolis, over in the west Austin made their first playoff appearance taking on Oklahoma City, the other matchup in the west was a chance for Los Angeles to avenge their loss to Denver the previous year.
The Cleveland kids carried on their impressive season sweeping New York from the playoffs 3-0, all the games were close but the experience gained by the young Cleveland players during their 2020 run to the World Series, proved to be crucial in the end. In a surprising turn of events, Indianapolis fell to Tampa Bay three games to one, after winning the opener 7-1 the Racers imploded to slump to three straight defeats and send playoff newbies, Tampa Bay onto the Pennant series.
In the west Austin’s first playoff series got off to a flyer when Marshall Ayersome launched the first pitch he saw into the left field bleachers to give the Kings a lead they would not relinquish, taking the game 5-2. The Kings also took game two winning 4-1 behind a strong pitching performance from Benedict Lewis putting Austin in a strong position. After OKC won the next two games on the road in Austin to tie the series the Kings jumped on OKC game five starter Juan Delgado chasing him from the mound in the fourth inning having surrendered five runs on only three hits (one of them a three-run homer to Alexis Jennings) but also issuing five walks. The Outlaws chipped away at the lead with runs in the fifth and sixth inning and eventually got to Austin starter, Marcelo Sturzo, to the tune of five runs in the seventh, turning the game on its head and knocking the fight out of Austin. Oklahoma City went on to win the game 9-5 sending them onto the Pennant series while sending Austin home. Los Angeles got the chance to avenge their surprising loss to Denver the previous season, this time LA were in no mood to allow Denver into the series. The Wildcats managed only 7 hits and 2 runs over the first two games going down 8-1 and 6-1, game three was closer but LA still came out on top 2-1 courtesy of a Jonathan Baker ninth inning 2 run blast to centerfield. The Lynx had got their revenge on Denver and marched on to the Championship series.

The eastern league pennant series was an anti-climax as the heavily favoured Cleveland Corsairs were out hustled and outplayed by playoff new boys Tampa Bay. The Corsairs dropped the first two games at home scoring only a single run, shut out 6-0 in game one they struggled to a 4-1 defeat in the second also losing Catcher Aleddin Cobanoglu to injury. Game three in Tampa offered them some hope when first Netuno Ermida and then Richie Rambeaux homered to stake them to a 4-0 lead after three innings. Tampa Bay had other ideas and their pitchers went to work shutting the Cleveland batters down allowing their own offense to find a way back into the game, Michael Matthews scored on a wild pitch in the ninth to tie the score and send game into extra innings. Cleveland still couldn’t find a way to score and eventually in the bottom of the 13th, Hurricanes 1B Charles Mueller sent a Rich Fuller fastball into the bleachers to complete the Tampa Bay comeback. Game four was a walk over, Cleveland, who’s spirit had been broken the night before, had no fight left in them and slipped quietly out of the playoffs going down 7-1 to Tampa Bay.
The previous two Western league World Series representatives Los Angeles and Oklahoma City faced off in the WL pennant series. Games 1 and 2 in LA went the way of the home team with the Lynx using strong pitching and timely hitting to take a 2-0 series lead. OKC found the confines of their home stadium to more to their liking, winning game three 7-3, collecting homeruns from 3B Arnold Davis and 1B Brian MacIntyre along the way. Game four went LA’s way behind a dominant pitching performance from Luis Manuel Quinones they squeezed out a 2-1 victory, game five was just as tight as game four but this time OKC took the 2-1 win. Game six, once again back in LA was over almost as soon as it started, OKC starter A.J Merriweather struggled with control allowing 3 walks and two homeruns in the first inning alone falling behind 4-0. LA starter Zander Pace on the other hand was in total control shutting down the Outlaws offense through seven innings before handing over to the bullpen. First Alfonso Vargas and then Jose Maldonado completed the shut out for Los Angeles sending them onto their second World Series.

The 2021 fall classic pitted Los Angeles Lynx, playing in their second World Series in three years, against Playoff debutants Tampa Bay Hurricanes. Game one in LA went the way of the home side with seven strong innings from Max Castle, who allowed one run on four hits, while the Lynx offense collected runs at regular intervals to build a 6-1 lead. Castle ran into trouble in the eighth when he gave up a solo homerun to 1B Charles Mueller then put the next two batters on base to leave runners on the corners with no-one out. LA’s bullpen came to the rescue shutting the rally down and closing out the 6-2 win for the Lynx. Game two was pretty much a carbon copy of game one with Jimmy Chien pitching six strong innings before handing over a 4-1 lead to the bullpen. This time the pen didn’t hold up as Tampa Bay scored two runs in the seventh, then big offseason acquisition, Juan Santos clubbed a three-run homerun to put the Hurricanes ahead before Marcos Diaz closed the door on the Lynx in the ninth. The series moved onto Florida for 3 games, Tampa Bay jumped all over LA starter Luis Manuel Quinones hammering him for seven runs over just four innings, the bullpen took over and slowed the scoring but the Hurricanes still ran out easy 11-2 winners to take the series lead. LA evened the series the following night, needing a good start from Zander Pace to protect the bullpen that had been beaten up in the previous two games Pace delivered a complete game gem cruising to a 5-1 win. Game 5 pitted the two series opening pitchers against each other again, this time Max Castle struggled allowing 6 runs through five innings while TB starter Anastasio Perez went eight innings allowing just two runs. Both bullpens were back to their best, surrendering just a single run each as Tampa Bay ran out 7-3 winners. The series returned to LA for the final two games with Tampa Bay leading three games to two and the Lynx knowing they had no room for error, Game six was a pitching duel between LA’s Jimmy Chien and TB’s Jose Salinas. The games defining moment came in the sixth inning, when with the bases loaded and one out, Chien induced Tampa Bay’s rookie CF Chris Ross to roll into a double play to end the inning, while in the home half of the inning Salinas couldn’t keep LA’s Ricardo Saucedo and Alberto Lara from scoring on a Jonathan Baker Double. Both teams added a run in the eighth but LA’s closer Jose Maldonado struck out all three Hurricane batters he faced in the ninth to secure a 3-1 victory and take the series to a deciding game seven. Tampa Bay started fast in the decider scoring one run in each of the first three innings before LA starter Luis Manuel Quinones settled down, LA’s batters finally found a way to hurt TB starter Harry Barnes in the fifth, plating two on an Alberto Lara double. A further run in the eighth inning set up a tense ninth, once again Maldonado was called upon by LA, and he delivered, retiring the Hurricanes in order. In the bottom of the ninth with the game two outs away from extra innings, pinch hitter Terry Lambright launched a Kendrick Younger fastball into the leftfield bleachers to send the Lynx fans wild, winning the game and delivering the World Series to Los Angeles in dramatic fashion.

2021 Playoff Recap

Divisional Series
EL: Cleveland 3-0 New York, Tampa Bay 3-1 Indianapolis
WL: Los Angeles 3-0 Denver, Oklahoma City 3-2 Austin
Championship Series
EL: Tampa Bay 4-0 Cleveland
WL: Los Angeles 4-2 Oklahoma City
World Series
Los Angeles 4-3 Tampa Bay

[JayW UK]

2021 Season Leaders and Awards

EL Batting
Hits
217 Gabriel Mendez (IND)
205 Steve Lowe (PHI)
194 Dominique Boutin Jr (CLE)
Batting Avg
.364 Gabriel Mendez (IND) *
.333 Charles Mueller (TB)
.323 Brent Hill (PHI)
Homeruns
44 Gabriel Mendez (IND) *
40 Francisco Martinez (DET)
39 John Sears (ATL)
RBI
141 Gabriel Mendez (IND) *
115 Domingo Villanueva (PHI)
114 Brian Watson (MIA)
Stolen Bases
48 Johnny Pineda (MIA)
42 Daniel Garcia (NO)
40 Jose Muniz (IND)

EL Pitching
Wins
20 Loren Neal (IND)
17 Ed Hudson (BOS)
17 Matthew McIntosh (ATL)
ERA
2.15 Freddie Bankfield (PHI)
2.28 Eric Parker (IND)
2.40 Will Christopher (DET)
Strikeouts
257 Larry de Meza (ATL)
246 Eric Parker (IND)
221 Freddie Bankfield (PHI)
Saves
44 Ron Henderson (CLE)
42 Marcos Diaz (TB)
41 Min-Jae Choi (NY)

WL Batting
Hits
239 Dixon Bodean (KC)
211 Jonathan Russell (MIN)
195 Michael Jennings (KC)
Batting Avg
.382 Dixon Bodean (KC)
.339 Luis Sanchez (OKC)
.324 Earl Malone (LV)
Homeruns
42 Michael Jennings (KC)
37 Wes Lauderdale (PHO)
35 Claude Cummins (MIN)
RBI
127 Dixon Bodean (KC)
121 Michael Jennings (KC)
107 Jose Velasquez (SEA)
Stolen Bases
57 Jonathan Russell (MIN)
49 Dustin Polk (SD)
38 Jose Velasquez (SEA)

WL Pitching
Wins
19 Anthony Barrett (DEN)
19 AJ Merriweather (OKC)
19 Zander Pace (LA)
ERA
1.81 Marc Birstall (HOU)
2.04 Isreal Montano (SD)
2.30 Zander Pace (LA)
Strikeouts
271 Anthony Barrett (DEN)
262 Pedro Escobar (SD)
252 Jose Marino (DAL)
Saves
46 Jose Maldonado (LA)
46 Sergio Santos (AUS)
44 Robert Grove (OKC)

Batting Champion – The Eastern League was led by Gabriel Mendez (IND) who’s .364 average was well ahead of Tampa Bay’s Charles Mueller (.333). In the west Kansas City star Dixon Bodean (.382) finished streets ahead of OKC’s Luis Sanchez (.339) to take the title.
Homerun Champion – Indianapolis superstar Gabriel Mendez (44 HR) took the title for the second time, finishing ahead of Detroit’s Francisco Martinez (40 HR). The Western League was won by Kansas City star Michael Jennings (42 HR) his first title, taking the award ahead of Phoenix CF Wes Lauderdale (37 HR) and Minneapolis LF Claude Cummins (35 HR)
Outstanding Hitter – In the east there was only one winner, Indianapolis 1B Gabriel Mendez (.364, 44, 141 RBI) collected his fourth award, his superb season ending in a batting Triple Crown (Avg, HR and RBI) the first player in NABL history to do so. Over in the west the Kansas City star Dixon Bodean (.382, 25 HR, 127 RBI) won the award, his excellent season overshadowed by Mendez’s.
Outstanding Pitcher – Indianapolis starter Loren Neal (20-6, 2.64 ERA) won in the east ahead of team mate and many peoples favourite for the award Eric Parker. In the west LA’s Zander Pace (19-7, 2.30 ERA) held off challenges from Denver’s Anthony Barrett and Houston rookie Marc Birstall to win the award.
Rookie of the Year – Tampa Bay CF Chris Ross (.296, 13 HR, 71 RBI) won the award in the east ahead of New Orleans LF Daniel Garcia (.298, 6 HR, 39 RBI + 42 SB) while in the west Houston’s rookie pitching sensation, Marc Birstall (16-2, 1.81 ERA, 250 K) took the award in a landslide.
Manager of the Year – Cleveland skipper Paul Ladd won his second award for leading the Corsairs to an Eastern League best 104 wins while in the west, LA’s Mario Sanchez took home the award for leading the Lynx to the World Series in only his second season in charge.
Glove Wizard Awards EL – P Katsumi Sugano (BOS) – C Mark Abraham (IND) – 1B Felipe Pagan (CHI) – 2B Nate Lucas (PHI) – 3B Brandon Bowman (DET) – SS Tom Calhoun (IND) – LF Chandler Harrington (CLE) – CF Denny Kent (DET) – RF William Vaughn (BOS)
Glove Wizards Awards WL – P Paul Williams (AUS) – C Rodrigo Lopez (PHO) – 1B Jonathan Baker (LA) – 2B Earl Malone (LV) – 3B Van Hanna (MIN) – SS Albert Lara (LA) – LF Marshall Ayersome (AUS) – CF Alexis Jennings (AUS) – RF Jerry Cochrane (SF)

Interesting Fact - Los Angeles 1B Jonathan Baker became the first player in NABL history to win a Glove Wizard award at multiple positions having previously won two awards for his work at RF. Los Angeles 3B Jeff Mueller and Tampa Bay 1B Charles Mueller became the first brothers in NABL history to play in the same game, when they met in game 1 of the World Series.
Pending free agent LF Francisco Martinez would be one of the more sought-after names in the upcoming class after an excellent three-year run. Playing for three different teams (Kansas City, Philadelphia and Detroit) he amassed 500 hits including 115 homeruns, scored 306 times and collected 324 RBI’s and was twice Outstanding Hitter Award runner-up (2019 and 2021).

[JayW UK]

Interlude – Player Profile

Chris Wilson - OF (Retired)
College – USC
Drafted – 2016 – 1st Round - No1 Overall by San Jose Spartans
Current Team – None
Previous Teams – SJ (2016-2020)

Despite obvious talent there were many red flags surrounding Wilson when he was drafted first overall by San Jose GM Ted Garneau. His first couple of years in San Jose’s minor league system showed both his undoubted talent (great defense and power hitting) and his flaws (6% BB rate v 25% K rate), but his weaknesses were compounded by his lacklustre work ethic. He earned a call up to the big leagues in 2018 but in July that year things took a turn for the worse as he became embroiled in the San Jose PED scandal earning an 80-game ban. After serving his suspension he returned to San Jose to resume his career, where once again he struggled in their minor league system until the Spartans finally ran out of patience and released him after the 2020 season with Wilson having never solved major league or even AAA pitching. Wilson tried his luck with several teams during 2021, earning minor league contracts from both Sanfrancisico and Dallas, but neither team kept him around and disillusioned with baseball Wilson finally called time on his underwhelming career at the age of 25. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but even when Spartans GM Ted Garneau made Wilson the first overall pick in 2016, there were questions around his desire and work ethic and given everything that has transpired (Wilson being involved in the PED scandal and washing out of the league by 2021) coupled with the players passed over to draft him (Max Castle, Richie Rambeaux to name a couple) you would have to conclude picking Wilson was a spectacular miss by the Spartans.

Career Stats

Regular Season
G - 57 AB – 181 RS - 18 H - 39 2B - 9 3B - 3 HR - 3 RBI - 12 BB - 8 K - 57 SB - 2 CS – 0 AVG - .215 OBP – .260 SLG – .348 OPS – .608 OPS+ - 74 WAR – 0.4
Post Season
--- No Stats ---

[JayW UK]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for following this dynasty report, it's much appreciated.

I'm off for a well earned break, so there won't be any more updates for the next week or so.

See you when I return with the 2022 season.

[JayW UK]

2022 Off-Season

A number of teams were on the lookout for new managers, three teams went the promotion from within route. Las Vegas promoted Bench Coach Pat Bennett, the former manager of the year had his work cut out for him with the Gamblers ageing roster, Miami promoted Francisco Cerda to be their new skipper, Cerda had experience as manager having skippered Memphis from 2015 to 2018. San Jose, having fired manager Dave Nelson despite the fact he had led the team to their best ever record, also promoted from within, tabbing bench coach Pedro Garcia to be their new field manager. Minneapolis on the other hand raided Atlanta’s coaching staff, prising hitting coach Matt Hunt away from Georgia to be their new manager. Less than two months after signing a five-year deal Denver centerfielder Ron Massey found himself on the trade block along with teammate Ronald Shockley. The two players had got themselves in hot water with the team after being arrested on a night out and in a move designed to send a message to the rest of the team, both players found themselves on their way out of Denver. Washington took a chance on the two players, trading pitcher Gordon Duval to Denver for the pair, most observers believed that if Massey and Shockley knuckled down and stayed out of trouble then Washington had definitely got the better of the deal, but that was a big if.
The biggest story by far of free agency was the next destination of superstar 1B Gabriel Mendez, having left Indianapolis after his contract expired, he was looking for a new home. Fully three quarters of the teams in the NABL had shown serious interest in obtaining his services, in the end it was the bright lights of LA and money on offer from the Lynx that won the day, he signed a $63.5M deal to call southern California home for the next three years. On the down side for the defending champions they lost key contributors to free agency, 1B Jonathan Baker left town and signed with Phoenix for $61M over 4 years, closer Luis Maldonado signed a lucrative $33.5M, 3-year deal with Austin but the biggest loss was star pitcher Zander Pace who was lured away by Washington, signing on for two years at $20.4M per year. Washington, who posted an operating loss in excess of $20M for the second season in a row, also signed former Miami and New Orleans 1B Carlos Vazquez to a 2 year $36M deal and pitcher Benedict Lewis to a 4 year $49.5M pact, Lewis had gone a long way to repairing his reputation during his one year in Austin after his unsavoury exit from Detroit. However, the Generals didn’t have it all their own way losing their own top pitcher Ray Charles to division rivals New York for $55M over 3-years. The senators also won the race to sign star LF Francisco Martinez, landing the veteran on a three year $58M deal while catcher Alaeddin Cobanoglu, turned his solid season with Cleveland into a lucrative 3-year deal with Tampa Bay worth nearly $17M per season.
The 2022 draft board was heavy on High School talent, with two pitchers and three position players being talked about as potential top 5 picks. The two pitchers were Rajion Samit who profiled as a power pitcher with average control and Anthony Dyer who was the opposite, a low strikeout pitcher but with excellent control. The top position players were OF Jared Guest who many scouts thought to be the best batter to declare since Dixon Bodean, 1B Matt Henderson who hit for average and power but also struck out at a high rate and 2B Adonis Moore who was average at the plate but had speed to burn and was a plus defender. The top college pitcher available was Edward Williams of St Johns while LSU catcher Dan Matterby was the top college position player. When draft night arrived, it was pitcher Edward Williams who was taken first overall by Dallas, high school pitcher Rajion Samit heard his name called second by Seattle. Adonis Moore was taken third by Miami while Boston tabbed Jared Guest with the fourth pick, pitcher Anthony Dyer rounded out the top five when he was drafted by Detroit. Matt Henderson was taken tenth by Chicago while Dan Matterby lasted until the seventeenth pick where San Diego ended his fall. Immediately after the draft, Matt Henderson was installed as BNN’s top prospect while Jared Guest was listed at four, with many seeing their rivalry as one to watch over the coming years.

[JayW UK]

2022 Regular Season

Eastern League Review

In the Atlantic division, New York improved on their 2021 campaign finishing with 102-wins, the Senators boasted one of the top pitching staffs headlined by Roberto Perez (18-9, 3.41 ERA) and Ray Charles (17-10, 3,54 ERA) and the Eastern League’s top offense with Jason Wilson (.300, 36 HR, 102 RBI) leading the way. Runner up Washington led by excellent defense and lock-down pitching, with off-season acquisition Zander Pace (18-9, 2.93 ERA) standing out, returned to the postseason as the wildcard team after a one-year absence winning 90 games. Boston climbed out of the division basement finishing 78-84 while Philadelphia slumped all the way from second to last, finishing with a disappointing 75-87 record.
Indianapolis rode Eric Parker (20-7, 2.56 ERA) and the best pitching staff in the NABL to the Central Division title winning 93-games, Cleveland struggled with consistency and injuries all season slumping from 104-wins to just 79 to finish second. Chicago were held back by poor pitching an terrible defense, ultimately finishing third with a 76-86 record whilst Detroit once again occupied the basement finishing with a record of 69-93.
The Southeast Division belonged to Tampa Bay (86-76), the Hurricanes had the second most prolific offense in the east, with 1B Vincente Gonzalez (.275, 40 HR, 125 RBI) and Juan Santos (.310, 35 HR, 98 RBI) carrying the load they smashed 196 homeruns but their pitching was only average at best, which was a concern if they wanted a deep playoff run. Atlanta (78-84) knocked the Blues from the runner up spot for the first time in four seasons whilst Miami and New Orleans (73-89) tied for bottom in the division, both teams featured standout players (1B Brian Watson, .280, 33 HR, 106 RBI for Miami and Jorge Sanchez, .299, 25 HR, 104 RBI for New Orleans) but otherwise struggled throughout the season with injuries to key perfomers.

Final Standings

Atlantic Division
New York 102-60*
Washington 90-72*
Boston 78-84
Philadelphia 75-87

Central Division
Indianapolis 93-69*
Cleveland 79-83
Chicago 76-86
Detroit 69-93

Southeast Division
Tampa Bay 86-76*
Atlanta 78-84
Miami 73-89
New Orleans 73-89

[JayW UK]

2022 Regular Season

Western League Review

In the west the Midwest Division battle went the distance with Oklahoma City and Minneapolis finishing the season tied with 90-72 records setting up a one game playoff. OKC took the elimination game 6-3 ending the Bears remarkable season, at the all-star break they were third in the standing 10 games off the pace. Denver, despite boasting stars such as Anthony Barrett (17-8, 2.49 ERA), Ben Douglas (27 HR), 1B Jamie Boden (25 HR) and 3B Joe Rutherford (25 HR) and the NABL’s top payroll could only muster 83 wins to finish third while Kansas City struggled to a club worst 67-95 record to finish last despite having one of the western league’s top offenses led by the trio of LF Dixon Bodean (.370, 38 HR, 112 RBI, 1B Michael Jennings (.294, 27HR, 96 RBI) and 2B Jack Underwood (265, 27 HR, 85 RBI).
In the Southwest Division Houston made a late season run to take the crown for the first time in 5 years, finishing 87-75 seven games ahead of Phoenix (80-82) who’s abysmal September (8-21) cost them the division title. The rest of the division didn’t even win 200 games between them, Austin failed to build on their 2021 division crown and fell alarmingly from 83 to 66 wins, Dallas (64-98) continued to struggle while Las Vegas suffered key injuries to their rotation and slumped to a 64-98 record.
Los Angeles continued to go from strength to strength, winning their fifth straight division title all the while collecting an NABL record 111 wins along the way, keyed by the Western league’s top offense, led by star 1B Gabriel Mendez (.310, 43 HR, 126 RBI) and the NABL’s best pitching unit, with Max Castle (20-3, 2.31 ERA) topping the bill, they were most people’s favourite for the World Series. San Diego rode the Pedro Escobar (18-9, 2.17 ERA) and Benny McCauney (18-6, 2.14 ERA) led pitching staff (2nd best in the NABL behind LA) to a franchise best 98-64 record and their first playoff appearance. Third place went to San Jose, who’s 93-wins was the most a team had won and not made the postseason since OKC won 93 in 2015, despite not making the playoffs 2022 was the clubs’ best season yet and garnered skipper Pedro Garcia some Manager of the Year love. Sanfrancisco dropped to a disappointing 72-90 record to finish fourth while Seattle (69-93) completed a fourth straight season with less than 70 wins and missed the playoffs for the sixth year in a row, although the play of 24-year-old SS Jose Velasquez (.322, 21 HR, 109 RBI) gave the Pioneers fans hope for a brighter future.

Final Standings

Midwest Division
Oklahoma City 91-72* +
Minneapolis 90-73 +
Denver 83-79
Kansas City 67-95

Southwest Division
Houston 87-75*
Phoenix 80-82
Austin 66-96
Dallas 64-98
Las Vegas 64-98

Pacific Division
Los Angeles 111-51*
San Diego 98-64*
San Jose 93-69
Sanfrancisco 72-90
Seattle 69-93

Play-In Game
+ Oklahoma City defeats Minneapolis to claim Midwest Division title.

[JayW UK]

2022 Season Notes

On the eve of the season Chicago pulled off a trade with Cleveland sending MR Arnold Carpenter and 2B prospect Antonio Navarro to the Corsairs for 1B Albert Massey, immediately improving their offense, while Oklahoma City’s pitching staff took a hit when A.J Merriweather injured his shoulder shelving him until July.
April 6th - LA’s Gabriel Mendez hit his fourth home run of the season taking his career total to 299, he was joined on 299 in the race for 300 HR by Juan Santos later the same day when he hit his first of the season.
April 7th - having signed a 1 year $7.5M deal with Minneapolis on the eve of season, Andrew Parker made it through spring training for the first time in three years only to suffer a fractured foot in his fifth game of the season, the Bears placed him on the DL where he would remain until the End of May.
April 7th - Tampa Bay slugger Juan Santos won the race to 300 when he drove a wayward Reed Bush fastball deep into the left field bleachers to become the first player in NABL history to hit 300 homeruns, Bush and his New Orleans teammates had the last laugh though, taking the game 6-4.
April 10th - Dallas pitcher Jose Marino joined Anthony Barrett as the only two pitchers with 2000 K’s in their careers, these two were joined later in the season by Alfredo Flores (OKC) in August and Ed Hudson (BOS) in September.
April 14th – New York’s big off-season addition LF Francisco Martinez suffered a hamstring strain sending him to the DL for 6-7 weeks.
April 24th - Gabriel Mendez finally hit homerun number 300, he had been stuck on 299 for nearly three weeks batting only .149 (7 for 47) during the drought as the pressure mounted on him to hit that elusive homer.
April 25th - Denver’s Anthony Barrett struck out 15 in only seven innings pitched, leading the Wildcats to a 7-2 win against Austin.
May 6th - Phoenix starter Mark Hayes became the first pitcher in NABL history to hit a grand slam, his moment in the sun came when he launched a Billy Moss fastball into the stands helping his Eagles to a 9-5 victory over Las Vegas.
June 11th - Las Vegas closer Stephen Davis became the fourth player to reach 300 saves when he recorded the final out in a 9-8 Las Vegas victory over San Diego, Min-Jae Choi (NY) on 6th August and Jose Maldonado (AUS) in September also joined the elite group during the season.
June 22nd - Phoenix’s Wes Lauderdale went 4 for 4, hitting for the cycle and collected 3 RBI’s but couldn’t help his team overcome Austin in a 6-4 defeat.
June 23rd – New York LF Francisco Martinez hit the DL for the second time on the season, this time a strained back muscle would sideline him for six weeks.
July 3rd - Kansas City said goodbye to 2B Marcus Witt when they traded him to Houston for prospects C Ruben Rea and 1B Ryan Davis, the former batting champion had seen his playing time diminish with the emergence of Jack Underwood and with his contract running out at seasons end, Kansas City decided to cash in rather than lose him for nothing. He joined a Houston team challenging for the postseason and in need of his veteran leadership.
July 4rd – on his debut only hours after signing, 3B Brandon Bowman stole four bases for his new club Washington in win against Indianapolis.
July 10th - in his first home game for Houston, Marcus Witt went 5 for 5 collecting two doubles and a triple with 4 RBI’s, leading the Stars to a 9-3 victory over Las Vegas.
July 13th - Oklahoma City’s Luis Sanchez hitting streak was stopped at 25 when he went 0 for 4 in a loss against Denver.
July 20th - Boston 1B Clarence Barnes had a day to remember, in a crazy game against Chicago he went 4 for 5 including a double and two homeruns, one of them a grand slam, driving in 10!! while setting the NABL single game RBI record along the way. Boston needed every one of his RBI’s as they only just held on to beat Chicago 11-10.
August 21st - New York star Tanner Gosse beat Tampa Bay almost single handedly, collecting 8-RBI’s on 3 hits including a grand slam as the Senators slipped past the Hurricanes 9-7.
August 29th - Phoenix SS Kevin Jones hit for the cycle going 4 for 4 with a single RBI against his former team Los Angeles, Jones provided the only runs for Phoenix, a solo homerun in the sixth, in a 7-1 defeat.
September 3rd - New York’s offseason signing Ray Charles pitched a gem against Philadelphia, NO-HITTING the Independence, his only blemish a first inning walk to the second batter he faced.
September 9th - in his next start, New York pitcher Ray Charles added to his consecutive batters retired streak, eventually surrendering a fourth inning hit with two out to end the streak at 37!!
September 20th - LA’s Gabriel Mendez collected his 1000 RBI of his career becoming the first player in NABL history to reach the milestone.
September 25th - Washington’s World Series hopes took a hit when slugging RF Tony Diaz was injured in a collision at first base, he was diagnosed with a concussion and ruled out for the duration of the playoffs.

[JayW UK]

2022 Playoffs

New York entered the playoffs with the best record in the east and were matched up against defending EL champions Tampa Bay. The Senators made the most of home field advantage taking the first two games 4-3 and 6-2 before Tampa Bay’s bats came to life in game three lighting up NY starter Ray Charles to the tune of seven runs over just four innings the Hurricanes ran out comfortable winners taking the game 11-3. Game four was much closer with New York holding a slim 3-2 lead into the ninth, Senator closer Min-Jae Choi couldn’t hold the lead though, allowing all three TB batters he faced to collect hits including the game winning 3-run homerun by Juan Santos. The fifth and deciding game back in New York was also a tight affair, this time when he was called upon, Min-Jae Choi delivered, closing the door on Tampa Bay in the ninth and sending the Senators on to the EL Championship series for the first time.
Washington met Indianapolis in a repeat of the 2020 Divisional series, just as they had then the Racers jumped on Washington’s pitchers in game one cruising to a 6-1 win, game two went to the Generals to even the series. Back in Washington for game three, the Generals stopped the Racers dead in their tracks, shutting them out 9-0, the Racers ensured there would be a deciding game five back in Indianapolis by taking game four. Washington exorcised their playoff ghosts by winning the decider and advancing from the first round of the playoffs for the first time.
Houston returned to the playoffs for the first time in five years but had the misfortune to run into Los Angeles, in a series that was closer than most people thought would be the Stars drew first blood taking game one on the road 7-5, LA came roaring back smashing Houston 11-1 in game two and 10-3 in game three. Houston kept the series alive behind a strong pitching performance from Armando Luna who threw 7 shutout innings and some timely hitting to win 5-3 and send the series back to LA. The deciding game 5 matched the two staff aces, LA’s Max Castle and Houston’s Marc Birstall, against each other. In a tight pitcher’s duel it was a mistake by Birstall, when he gave up a 2-run homerun to Clayton Martin in the seventh, which proved the difference in a 3-1 LA victory.
The only series in the Divisional round not to go the distance was the matchup between San Diego and Oklahoma City, the Mariners opened the series in OKC with a victory before the Outlaws evened things up in game two. Games three and four in San Diego followed a very similar script, first Benny McCauney shut the Outlaws down, giving up one run through seven innings, before handing a 3-1 lead over to the bullpen to finish. Felipe Sanchez followed a similar path the following night pitching six strong innings (2 ER on 4 hits with 8 K’s) before handing over a 4-2 game to the pen, Thomas Zimmerman collected the final out to send the Mariners on the the Pennant series and a date with divisional rivals LA.

The Eastern league Pennant series saw New York take on wildcard entry and division rivals Washington, both teams had come through hard fought five game first round series to get this far. In game one both teams were well below par, in a sloppy, error filled game New York eventually scraped to a 4-3 tenth inning victory courtesy of a Steve Gardner wild pitch. Game two belonged to New York again, this time Ray Charles pitched a four-hit shutout of Washington, game three saw the Washington offense wake up with home runs by Ron Massey and Steve Burgess staking the Generals to a 6-0 lead after just 3 innings and chasing New York Starter Guillermo Lopez from the game, the Senators came back into the game with runs in the fourth, fifth and seventh inning to cut the lead to 6-4, but Washington’s bullpen then stepped up to close out the victory. The Generals rode the home field advantage in the next two games not allowing New York to settle into a rhythm, winning both games 4-2. With the series back in New York, the Senators kept their World Series hopes alive taking game six setting up a winner takes all game seven, against all the odds Washington took the decisive game in extra innings, recovering from an early 4-0 deficit to eventually win 5-4 in the eleventh.
In the west the Championship series was fought out between division rivals Los Angeles and San Diego. Games 1 and 2 went to the LA Lynx who enjoyed the confines of their home field on the way to convincing 8-2 and 11-4 victories. Game 3 in San Diego went the way of the Mariners who used a strong start from Pedro Escobar and some excellent defense to win 5-1, the following night it was the turn of LA to take the victory in a closely fought 3-1 win with closer Dave Wyatt stifling a San Diego ninth inning rally by striking out Dustin Polk to strand two on base. Game five was do or die for the Mariners, starter Diego Camacho went the distance in a controlled San Diego win keeping the series alive. LA were in no mood to mess around when the series resumed two nights later, Luis Manuel Quinones shut down the San Diego offense allowing a single run from eight innings while striking out 11 Mariners. Run support was provided in the shape of three homeruns, two from Gabriel Mendez and one from Gary Ferguson as LA ran out 5-1 winners to become the second team, Atlanta 2017/2018 being the other, to reach back-to-back World Series.

The 2022 World Series was a David and Goliath matchup between hot favourites Los Angles and Washington, LA boasted the NABL’s top pitching staff and the western league’s top offense while Washington were middle of the road in both categories. Game one went to script with LA ace Max Castle shutting the Generals down while the Lynx batters got to grips with Washington’s pitching, launching four home runs on the way to an 8-2 victory, game two was more of the same, another four homeruns, including two from Gabriel Mendez, saw LA cruise to an 11-3 win. Game three back in Washington was no better for the Generals as former Lynx pitcher Zander Pace ran foul of the LA batting line up, he was roughed up through four innings serving up eleven runs (including a grand slam) before he was mercifully removed from the rout, LA went on to record a World Series record seventeen runs in a dominating 17-3 win. Washington finally stopped the bleeding in game four, Benedict Lewis keeping the LA batters guessing on the way to a five-hit shutout, the following night Katsumi Sugano drew the short straw for Washington, he pitched well for five innings before the wheels came off in the sixth with LA scoring five times and chasing him from the game. From then on, a procession of pitchers for both sides saw the game and the series draw to its inevitable conclusion, LA ran out 6-1 winners and claimed their second World Series title while also becoming the first team in NABL history to repeat as champions.

2022 Playoff Recap

Divisional Series
EL: New York 3-2 Tampa Bay, Washington 3-2 Indianapolis
WL: Los Angeles 3-2 Houston, San Diego 3-1 Oklahoma City
Championship Series
EL: Washington 4-3 New York
WL: Los Angeles 4-2 San Diego
World Series
Los Angeles 4-1 Washington

[JayW UK]

2022 Season Leaders and Awards

EL Batting
Hits
206 Johnny Pineda (MIA)
203 Alejandro Pichardo (NY)
200 Jose Periera (IND)
Batting Avg
.338 Alejandro Pichardo (NY)
.330 Jeff Miller (TB)
.322 Clarence Barnes (BOS)
Homeruns
40 Vincente Gonzalez (TB)
36 Jason Wilson (NY)
35 Juan Santos (TB)
RBI
125 Vincente Gonzalez (TB)
105 Brian Watson (MIA)
104 Jorge Sanchez (NO)
Stolen Bases
48 Jose Pereira (IND)
46 Johnny Pineda (MIA)
45 Jose Muniz (IND)

EL Pitching
Wins
20 Eric Parker (IND)
18 Zander Pace (WAS)
18 Roberto Perez (NY)
ERA
2.21 Vince Little (ATL)
2.25 Pedro Diaz (WAS)
2.52 Ed Hudson (NY)
Strikeouts
256 Eric Parker (IND)
233 Larry de Meza (ATL)
204 Jerry Wood (IND)
Saves
45 Min-Jae Choi (NY)
45 Alfonso Vargas (WAS)
41 Sergi Cardenas (CHI)

WL Batting
Hits
226 Dixon Bodean (KC)
203 Jose Velasquez (SEA)
200 Earl Malone (LV)
Batting Avg
.370 Dixon Bodean (KC)
.335 Ray Rowland (SEA)
.323 Miguel Roman (SJ)
Homeruns
43 Gabriel Mendez (LA)
38 Dixon Bodean (KC)
38 Wes Lauderdale (PHO)
RBI
126 Gabriel Mendez (LA)
112 Dixon Bodean (KC)
109 Jose Velasquez (SEA)
Stolen Bases
42 Willie Simmons (SD)
34 Marshall Ayersome (MEM)
34 Dustin Polk (SD)

WL Pitching
Wins
20 Max Castle (LA)
18 Pedro Escobar (SD)
18 Benny McCauney (SD)
ERA
1.93 Marc Birstall (HOU)
2.14 Benny McCauney (SD)
2.17 Pedro Escobar (SD)
Strikeouts
273 Pedro Escobar (SD)
265 Marc Birstall (HOU)
263 Anthony Barrett (DEN)
Saves
49 Curt Rice (DEN)
45 Jesse Jones (MIN)
45 Dave Wyatt (LA)

Batting Champion – New York’s Alejandro Pichardo (.338) picked up his second batting title ahead of Tampa Bay’s Jeff Miller (.330) in the east, while in the west Kansas City star Dixon Bodean (.370) won his second in a row a full 35 points ahead of his nearest challenger, Seattle’s Ray Rowland (.335)
Homerun Champion – In the east Tampa Bay 1B Vincente Gonzalez (40 HR) held off the challenge of New York Rookie 1B Jason Wilson (36) and fellow Hurricane teammate Juan Santos (35) to take his first title. Over in the west LA new boy Gabriel Mendez (43 HR) collected his third homerun title finishing ahead of Kansas City star Dixon Bodean and Phoenix’s Wes Lauderdale who both hit 38 homeruns.
Outstanding Hitter – Tampa Bay superstar Juan Santos (.310, 35 HR, 98 RBI) held off the challenge of NY Rookie sensation Jason Wilson to win the Eastern League award. In the west a dominant season from Dixon Bodean (.370, 38 HR, 53 DBL, 112 RBI) gave him his second consecutive award just holding off LA’s Gabriel Mendez (.310, 43 HR, 126 RBI) who produced a season that in many other years would have seen him win the award.
Outstanding Pitcher – In the east Eric Parker (20-7, 2.56 ERA, 256K) won the award that many believed should have been his the previous year. In the west LA’s Max Castle (20-3, 2.31 ERA) held off challenges from Marc Birstall (HOU), Dave Cahill (MIN) and Pedro Escobar (SD) to win the award.
Rookie of the Year – In the east there was really only one choice, New York 1B Jason Wilson (.300, 36 HR, 102 RBI) who’s stunning season many believed, should have netted him the Outstanding Hitter award as well. In the west the race was less clear cut but Denver 1B Jamie Boden (.292, 25 HR, 78 RBI) eventually distanced himself from his competition to take the award
Manager of the Year – Washington manager Keith Bennett won the award in the east for leading his underdog Generals all the way to the World Series. Bennett joined his brother Pat (winner in 2017 with SF) as the only brothers to have won the prestigious award. In the west Mario Sanchez picked up his second consecutive award for leading the LA Lynx to back-to-back World Series victories (he had won four championships in five seasons, 2 in AAA with the Tulsa Rattlesnakes and now 2 consecutive World Series with LA)
Glove Wizard Awards EL – P Clifton Mortenson (BOS) – C Jack Epps (BOS) – 1B Jason Wilson (NY) – 2B Bill Taylor (BOS) – 3B Arnold Davis (WAS) – SS Tim Calhoun (IND) – LF Chandler Harrington (CLE) – CF David Mumcu (MIA) – RF Jerry Cochrane (ATL)
Glove Wizard Awards WL – P Daniel Henderson (AUS) – C Craig Jones (SJ) – 1B Gabriel Mendez (LA) – 2B Earl Malone (LV) – 3B Wayne Martin (AUS) – SS Albert Lara (LA) – LF Marshall Ayersome (AUS) – CF Alexis Jennings (AUS) – RF Nick Robbins (SD)

Interesting Facts – Two veteran pitchers really struggled during the season, LV’s Isreal Beasley and Dallas reliever Alfredo Garcia. 35-year-old Beasley, holder of all the major pitching records for Las Vegas, endured a dismal campaign (1-15, 7.01 ERA in 36 games, 20 of which were starts) leading to his release by the Gamblers at the end of the campaign and his subsequent retirement. Garcia’s season was just as disappointing, finishing with a 1-13 record with an ERA of 8.57 over 60 games, however Garcia did manage to rack up 19 saves (although he was also responsible for seven blown saves).