A brief history of the Australia-New Zealand Baseball League (AUNZBL, 2019-2119)

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2031 Leaderboards

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Retirement Class of 2031

Rupert Thurley. 38 y/o, CL. 2019-2031. With Brisbane in 2031, Thurley finished his career on a high, racking up 48 saves, 2nd-best in the league. He didn't spend his entire career as a closer (what pitcher does), but retired as the current career leader in saves, with 360. 902 career games, 936.2 IP, 732 Ks. 56-50 career record, 2.56 ERA, 3.73 FIP, 1.08 WHIP. 10-time All Star! 1 Championship, with the 2021 Canberra Cavalry.

Ghi-cheng Lee. 37 y/o, 1B. 2019-2030. Played 12 games for the Metros in 2030. 1447 career hits, 284HR, 905RBI, 843BB. Career stat-line: .248/.350/.451. 5 All Star selections. 2 rings with the Roos (2022, 2024).

Martin 'Headcase' Collard. 35 y/o, SS. 2021-2030. 1614 hits, most of them singles. 307 stolen bases. Career stat-line: .273/.316/.325. 1 Gold Glove.

Joel Grimes. 35 y/o, 1B. 2019-2030. 1241 hits, 271HR, 846RBI. Career stat-line: .229/.303/.425. 2 Gold Gloves, 1 All Star appearance. Had a habit of on-field brawling, linked to his post-War PTSD.

Rafael Birkbeck. 38 y/o, RF. 2019-2030. 1276 hits, 129HR, only 335 strikeouts in 4961PA. Stat-line: .280/.331/.427. 5-time All Star.

Tyler Silk. 38 y/o, SP. 2019-2029. The dominating pitching force at the league's inception, Silk was destroyed by a succession of serious injuries across 2025 and 2026 (torn flexor tendon, torn rotator cuff x2). While he tried to come back, he was never the same, and unable to avoid injury for any length of time. He ended his playing days pitching relief at AAA. 99-43 career, with a 2.91 ERA, a 2.95 FIP, and 1.02 WHIP.

He struck out 1638 in 1323 innings. He retired with the best winning percentage among qualified pitchers (both starters and relievers) of 70% (.6972). He held the top 4 season strikeout figures (311, 290, 279, 274), the top 3 Opponents' AVG, (.1746, .1750, .1873--only 1 other pitcher had restricted opponents to less than .200 in a season, and only once) and was at the head of a host of other season categories.

Before 2031 (Joshua Cheadle, 10.089), no other pitcher had a K/9 rate higher than 10.00. Silk recorded 4 seasons higher than 11.00 (12.703, 12.249, 11.971, 11.810). He 4 times struck out 15 or more players in a game (18, 17, 15, 15). Only 1 other pitcher (Rhett Moylan, 16) in AUNZBL history to that date had struck out more than 15.

One can only wonder what might have been if injury hadn't brought him down in his prime.

2-times Hurler of the Year, 1 Gold Glove, 5 All Star selections, a ring in 2027 with the Metros, though he missed the second half of that season as well as the postseason with another torn rotator cuff.

Nathaniel Hendricks. 38 y/o, SP. 2019-2031. 125-154, Hendricks managed to spend most of his career playing for bad teams. He had a career ERA of 4.26, FIP of 4.30, WHIP of 1.30. 1570 Ks in 2496 innings. 1 Gold Glove, 1 All Star selection.

Travis Mullens. 40 y/o, CL. 2019-2030. 48-51, 309 saves. Second on the career saves leaderboard when he retired, Mullens was the first AUNZBL pitcher to reach 300 saves. ERA 2.45, FIP 2.63, WHIP 1.00. 3-time All Star.

Harrison Wonnocott. 41 y/o, MR/CL. 2019-2030. 37-58, 186 saves. 3.32 ERA, 3.51 FIP, 1.16 WHIP. 5 All Star games, Championships in 2026, 2028 with the Bandits.

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2031 Awards

Gold Gloves

Pitcher: Angelo Roberts (Auckland Metros)
Catcher: Gavin Moss (Central Coast Thunder)
First Baseman: Jack Sen (Central Coast Thunder)
Second Baseman: Mario Martínez (Auckland Metros)
Third Baseman: Gavin Dethridge (Central Coast Thunder)
Shortstop: Jai O'connell (Brisbane Bandits)
Left Fielder: Tom Malcolm (Canberra Cavalry)
Center Fielder: Trent Parsons (Central Coast Thunder)
Right Fielder: Vaughan Skuse (Perth Heat)

Rookie of the Year

24 y/o Blue Sox catcher Elijah Booth. .286/.388/.482, 121-423, 502PA. 28 doubles, 2 triples, 17HR, 66BB. 3.1 WAR, 35.9 VORP.

2nd in the voting was 24 y/o Prospects CF & 2-time Rookie of the Month Nicholas Quinn (.300/.330/.397, 183-609, 650PA, 24 doubles, 10 triples, 5HR, 3.8 WAR, 28.7 VORP). 24 y/o Prospects SP Ronald DeJong (16-6 in 32 starts, 3.51 ERA, 3.21 FIP, 1.32 WHIP, 5.0 WAR, 33.4 VORP) came third.

Skipper of the Year

Thunder Manager Gareth Torley. A unanimous media pick, Torley skippered the Thunder to a wildcard, and then the Championship in a clean sweep postseason, all in his first year managing Central Coast. This was his second Skipper of the Year award (2027, Metros), and his third Championship ring (2027, Metros, 2029, Roos, 2031 Thunder).

After being fired by the Roos 113 games into 2030, less than a season after winning it all with them, none in the audience were surprised that some of Torley's acceptance speech appeared to be veiled jabs at Newcastle's owner, Vince Jarvis, and long-serving GM, Alan Yabsley.

He thanked the Thunder for "being progressive, open to new ideas, and determined to adapt to the ever-changing baseball landscape. That was," he added, "a refreshing change from some organizations who, while they might have more past success, were setting themselves up for a lot of future failure by rigidly sticking to recruitment and playing strategies that were already well beyond obsolete."

Hurler of the Year

In a somewhat contentious decision in media circles, Russell 'Ant' Roberts of the Prospects received this award. While it was hard to go past a 20-6 record, critics argued that his 3.73 ERA, and therefore his overall record, was more thanks to Hobart's great infield (though supporters replied that no Prospects infielder had won a Gold Glove) than his pitching, as his FIP was 4.41 and his WHIP 1.34. Regardless of the post-award arguing, no-one could change the result and Roberts, who had a season WAR of 2.4 and VORP of 35.2, could just wave his trophy and blow raspberries in the direction of anyone who said he didn't deserve it.

Brendon 'Bugs' Vernon (18-8, 3.01 ERA, 3.42 FIP, 1.19 WHIP, 6.4 WAR, 56.7 VORP) came second, and Mario Amaya (17-5, 3.31 ERA, 4.24 FIP, WHIP 1.28, WAR 3.4, VORP 44.7) third.

Slugger of the Year

Leading up to the AUNZBL Awards Night, Slugger of the Year had been debated by commentators and fans alike more than any of the other awards. But unlike the Hurler of the Year gong, after the award was given the debate died down. Most were of the opinion that any one of the frontrunners deserved to win it.

In the end, Rex Rees became the first hitter since Stewart Warwick to win the award twice in a row. He was 184-605 on the year, with 712PA, a stat-line of .304/.401/.527, 23 doubles, 2 triples, 36HR and 120RBI. He drew 82 walks and only struck out 55 times. His WAR was 6.9, his VORP 66.7.

Raul Gomez (.314/.385/.528, 188-598, 671PA, 26 doubles, 34HR, 103RBI, 7.3 WAR, 67.2 VORP) came second, and Vaughan Lockrey (.309/.402/.499, 182-589, 684PA, 26 doubles, 1 triple, 28HR, 98RBI, 88BB, 6.3 WAR, 61.9 VORP) finished third in the voting.

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2031 Career Leaderboards

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Offseason

2031 Notes

League ERA continued to rise, averaging 4.16 in 2031. Batting averages also continued to climb, the league average of .266 the highest in the history of the AUNZBL.

League News

Notable Club Happenings

For the first time in a long time, no AUNZBL clubs fired managers or GMs to start the offseason.

Notable Trades

13 Apr: The Aces sent 28 y/o SP Dylan Twomey (6-15, 6.11 ERA, 5.52 FIP, 1.81 WHIP in 2031; 28-35, 4.68 ERA, 5.03 FIP, 1.65 WHIP career) to the Roos in exchange for two prospects.

14 Apr: Unhappy 2031 Fury signing Lance Ough (41-51, 148 svs, 3.23 ERA, 3.33 FIP, 1.19 WHIP career) was traded to Hobart along with some cash for two prospects. Ough looked likely to assume the closer role at the Tasmanian franchise.

15 Apr: The Roos made another move, acquiring 28 y/o pitcher Elliot Wilson (21-10 - 8-5 as a starter in 2031 - 3.63 ERA, 4.29 FIP, 1.29 WHIP career) from the Heat for a 21 y/o pitching prospect.

29 May: The Roos continued their quest to revamp their rotation for 2032, trading 35 y/o Jai Jolly (125-123, 3.79 ERA, 3.69 FIP, 1.30 WHIP) to the Blue Sox for a fringe ML-level catcher and a 1B prospect.

Notable Free Agent Signings/Player Contract Extensions

28 Apr: The Thunder avoided 28 y/o SP Sterling Caporn (42-40, 4.15 ERA, 3.94 FIP, 1.33 WHIP) filing for free agency by extending his contract for 5 years.

28 Apr: The Metros managed the same thing with 27 y/o 1B Kelvin Ackland (.308/.356/.469, 145HR, 702RBI), working out a deal that would see him stay in Auckland for 5 more years. The obvious plan was to build a team around him and Rees.

5 May: This year’s crop of free agents included:

31 y/o Rhys Jamieson
39 y/o Carlo Browne
39 y/o Jason Deas
31 y/o Jarod Hendricks
29 y/o Brendon Vernon
38 y/o Jarrod Guerin
32 y/o Bob Merritt
35 y/o Terence Pi
28 y/o Juan Hernandez
34 y/o Stewart Warwick
30 y/o Bruce Pickford
29 y/o Arnold Chappell
32 y/o Cameron Dutton
40 y/o Mike Millar
32 y/o Marcello Caffyn
31 y/o Sean Morrow
41 y/o Dermott Ford
30 y/o Rafael Lopez
31 y/o Russell Roberts
39 y/o Teddy Tattersall
31 y/o Ronald Buckby
35 y/o Alistair Blanksby
36 y/o Baden Binns
36 y/o Keiran Tennant
32 y/o James Thwaites
33 y/o Matthew Flynn
41 y/o Tyler Gerlach
32 y/o Wes Albertson
27 y/o Sandro Ortega
39 y/o Hayden Foreman
30 y/o Jayden Floyd
36 y/o Allan Lloyd
33 y/o Fu Lao
36 y/o Vinnie Egan
28 y/o Dan Vankrimpen

The Bandits were worst hit by the free agency filings, losing 16.6 WAR. The Metros lost 10.6 WAR, most of that in the form of Brendon Vernon. The Thunder had actually gained WAR, as only one player filed, and they claimed catcher Brayden Rollings, who had a +1.3 WAR in 2031, off waivers.

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13 May: The Roos continued their drive for starting pitchers, landing the catch of the season when they announced Brendon Vernon had signed for 6 years.

16 May: Brisbane re-signed Arnold Chappell for 4 years.

17 May: The Roos starting rotation would likely look completely different in 2032, as they signed another starter, Jayden Floyd, for 5 years.

18 May: The Metros lured local lad Sean Morrow back into the fold. 2031’s best closer signed a 1-year deal.

20 May: The Fury signed Rhys Jamieson to a 3-year deal.

21 May: Marcello Caffyn signed with the Roos--what would they do with a position player?--for 2 years.

25 May: The Aces signed Dan Vankrimpen for 3 years. There was no indication from team or player as to whether he would take over as closer from Charlie Sheelah.

27 May: Matthew Flynn would wear the Venom colors for 2 years.

29 May: Brisbane re-signed another player they’d let file for free agency. Bruce Pickford finalized a 6-year contract. Fan reaction was mixed.

29 May: At the same presser as they announced Pickford’s signing, Brisbane presented Sandro Ortega to the media. He’d signed a 1-year deal.

6 Jun: The Thunder avoided potential 2032 arbitration issues with Edward Bebbington by extending his deal for another year.

10 Jun: Fu Lao would hurl for the Heat for the next 3 years.

10 Jun: With almost no media mention, former 20-game winner Terence Pi signed a 1-year deal with the Blue Sox, the team he’d spent 2022-2026 with, and with whom he hadn’t registered a losing season.

19 Jun: Another pitcher who’d broken the 20-win barrier, smashing it, in fact, with a 26-7 season, but who’d dropped off the radar in recent seasons, Hayden Foreman, signed with the Aces for the 2032 season.

22 Jun: Russell Roberts, fresh off a year many experts doubted he could ever replicate, finalized a 6-year deal with the Heat for much moolah.

22 Jun: The Prospects signed Alistair Blanksby for 2032.

5 Jul: The Roos signed another SP, 31 y/o Todd Upton, 17-game loser in 2031, to a 1-year deal. Quite a few of the experts thought this was potentially the best Roos pitcher signing of the lot, as far as possible value for money went, as long as they provided a solid infield behind him. Groundball pitcher Upton, they said, was much better than his 2031 stats suggested.

8 Aug: Jarod Hendricks signed with the Bandits for 1 year, in what media called a ‘bargain basement’ deal.

12 Aug: Brisbane snared the services of Dermott Ford for the 2032 season. The 41 y/o would be of great value to the club, both on and off the field, Bandits management announced proudly.

18 Aug: The Bandits got another free agent on the cheap, signing James Thwaites to a 1-year deal. The 5-time All Star had only played 4 full seasons (500+ PAs) in his 10-season career.

20 Aug: 41 y/o MR/CL Tyler Gerlach would pitch another year in the majors, signing with the Heat.

20 Aug: The Fury had traded Stewart Warwick mid-season in 2031, but there was obviously no hard feelings on either side (or perhaps no feelings too hard to overcome) as Warwick signed with them for another year. He would be hoping for more than the 49 PAs he had in 2031. He needed 23 hits to reach 2,000. He signed for a fraction of the amount he had earned last season.

26 Aug: Vinnie Egan would be a Venomeer (yes, that was what they called themselves back then) for a year. He would be hoping to bring up his 1000th walk in the 2032 season; he was currently on 981.

28 Aug: Auckland and Baden Binns put pen to paper for a 1-year deal.

1 Sep: Rafael Lopez signed with the Metros for the 2032 season.

1 Sep: The Bandits picked up Cameron Dutton for 2032.

12 Sep: Juan Hernandez signed a 1-year deal with the Aces.

14 Sep: The Bandits extended Randy Britton’s stay in Brisbane for another 2 years.

16 Sep: Gavin Dethridge signed a 2-year extension with the Thunder.

Notable Injuries

4 Sep: Axel Stennings would miss at least the first 2 weeks of the Aces campaign with a fractured wrist. Stennings needed 12HR to reach 400.

12 Sep: Cameron Dutton fractured his hand. It’d take 6 weeks to heal.

13 Sep: New Roos signing Jayden Floyd would miss 2 months thanks to an inflamed shoulder.

17 Sep: Newcastle’s Jason McHugh would miss 4 weeks thanks to a strained oblique.

27 Sep: Sterling Caporn would miss half the season with shoulder inflammation.

Other Notes

After all the offseason wheeling and dealing was done, the Roos gained the most WAR, and the Fury lost the most WAR. The Bandits overcame their 16.6 WAR loss to actually be up 3.3 WAR. A lot of that was because they re-signed two players (Chappell, 4.5 WAR, and Pickford, 5.4 WAR) they’d let file for free agency. The Metros made a lot of moves, but most of them appeared to be either depth, or potential value-for-money signings.

Notably, Jarrod Guerin (38 y/o), Jason Deas (39 y/o), and Allan Lloyd (36 y/o) hadn’t picked up contracts by Opening Day.

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2032 Preseason Predictions

The Australian Division would be weak in 2032, the experts predicted. The Venom would win, and be the only team to play above .500. On the other hand, the Cowboys and Thunder would have a running battle in the NSWNZ, with the Cowboys winning the pennant by 4 games, and recording 100 wins for the second season in a row. The Metros would take the 2nd wildcard slot.

Rex Rees was picked to win Slugger of the Year for the 3rd year in a row, many tipping that he would finally break the 40HR drought that had afflicted the AUNZBL since 2027.

Dylan Cully, if he could stay injury-free as he had in 2031, would be the league's best pitcher.

25 y/o Roos' SP Rowan Kalman (a starter they hadn't bought!), who went 12-12 in 2031, with a 4.09 ERA, a 3.45 FIP and a 1.17 WHIP, would be the AUNZBL's second best pitcher. Kalman possessed 5 pitches, with scouting reports saying his fastball in particular still had plenty of room for improvement. It was already outstanding (and regularly clocked by speed guns at 160 km/h), complemented by a very good slider, changeup & forkball and a poor curveball. His only downfall was a propensity towards laziness.

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2032/2033 Season - October

Notable Performances

3 Oct: Metros SP Paddy Whitford got his season off to a great start, shutting out Canberra on the back of 6 hits, 2 walks and 3Ks. The Metros romped home 15-0. Rex Rees drove in 7, off the back of a Grand Slam and a 3-run HR.

8 Oct: Harley Puckeridge continued a streak started in 2031, hitting in his 20th consecutive game.

8 Oct: Mario Martinez was 5-6 as the Metros beat the Roos 7-6 in 11 innings.

11 Oct: Puckeridge’s hit streak ends at 22 games.

12 Oct: Simon Bell was 5-5, including 2 solo HR, as the Metros crushed the Cowboys 16-7.

13 Oct: The very next day, Metros DH Arthur Sproule (drafted in the Rule 5 draft) went 5-5 in a 7-2 win over Christchurch.

16 Oct: In a hot month for hitting, Raymond Dempsey was 5-5, including a 2-run HR, for the Cowboys, helping them overcome the Prospects 10-5.

19 Oct: 22 y/o Manfred Kessing went 5-5 as the Cavalry defeated the Fury 7-1.

19 Oct: In the very same game, on the losing team, Stewart Warwick became the 4th AUNZBL player to reach 2000 hits, reaching it with his second hit on a 2-4 afternoon. While his star had faded a long way in recent years, he still got a 2-minute long ovation once he reached 1st base.

20 Oct: Marcello Greenway threw a 4-hit shutout for the Venom, helping them beat the Cavalry 7-0. He struck out 4 and walked 2.

29 Oct: The Venom won their 10th game in a row. They would lose the next night to end the streak.

Notable Injuries

6 Oct: Bandit Russell Knopp would sit out 2 weeks with a rotator cuff strain.

10 Oct: Already missing Caporn, the Thunder would also be without the services of Luigi Crabtree for 8 weeks after he strained his elbow.

21 Oct: In his first game back (at ML-level) from injury, Axel Stennings strained his oblique and would be on the DL for 6 weeks.

21 Oct: Nathaniel Lovett strained a hamstring and faced 2 weeks on the sidelines.

23 Oct: In a big blow for the Metros and for hot-starting Rex Rees (.403/.529/.866, 9HR), Rees would miss 5 weeks with a fractured foot.

23 Oct: Prospects CF Zachariah ‘Speedboat’ Hutchinson (.345/.406/.483 through 15 games) would miss 4 months with a ruptured tendon in his finger.

28 Oct: Rowan Kalman would be out 4-5 months with a torn labrum.

Notable Trades/Signings

21 Oct: The Venom worked out a 1-year contract extension with catcher Simon Avery.

21 Oct: The Cowboys avoided arbitration with Edwin Haynes, finalizing a 1-year extension.

25 Oct: The Thunder extended Carl Sarkies for 2 years.

Month Awards

Rookie of the Month: 25 y/o Cowboy Jason Brice. The 2B was 31-72, with a stat-line of .431/.440/.514.

Hurler of the Month: Thunder CL Rory Henderson. He contributed big-time to Central Coast’s great month, going 3-0, with 12 saves in 16 appearances. He had an ERA of 2.93, a WHIP of 1.30 and an ERA+ of 151. Surprisingly, his WAR for the month was -0.1.

Slugger of the Month: Christos Ross. Only 24, but already in his 3rd season in the bigs, Ross was 44-113 in October, hitting 9 doubles, 3 triples and 8HR. His 35RBI led the league. His stat-line: .389/.418/.735.


Other Notes

The Venom were sensational in October, notching a 22-7 record, to have a 6 game lead over the Aces and Heat in the Australian.

Central Coast were great too, sitting at 21-8 on November 1, 4 games ahead of the Metros. The Cowboys had a terrible month, going 10-19, along with the Roos, who were struck by the injury bug again.

Stewart Warwick led the league in strikeouts (37), 2 ahead of Maurice Downes, but otherwise was relishing being a regular in the lineup again. He hit .295/.315/.516 in the month, 16 of his 36 hits (10 doubles, 1 triple, 5HR) extra-base.

While Downes (.211/.336/.447, 7HR) didn’t lead the league in strikeouts, for which he would’ve been most thankful, he did lead the league in runs scored (26) and walks (20).

Fu Lao got off to a great start for Perth, going 5-0 in the month, with a 2.44 ERA, 2.86 WHIP, 0.92 WHIP, and a 0.2 HR/9.

Joshua Cheadle (2-0, 3.00 ERA, 2.11 FIP, 1.24 WHIP) was striking out 11.18 batters per 9 innings. His FIP was best in the league.

Standings, Nov 1

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2032/2033 Season - November

Notable Performances

2 Nov: Andre Maybury was 5-6 as the Venom humiliated the Blue Sox 18-2.

2 Nov: In the same game Simon Avery also went 5-6. Amazingly, no Adelaide batter hit a home run.

6 Nov: Not to be outdone by his teammates, Beau Tyson went 5-5 (including a solo HR) in Adelaide’s 7-2 defeat of Auckland.

15 Nov: Now that he was finally getting regular ML-level game time, Arthur Sproule must’ve been wondering what all the fuss was about. He had another 5-hit game, going 5-6 with 5RBI, as the Metros disposed of the Heat 9-3.

19 Nov: Fu Lao allowed only 6 hits and struck out 8 while guiding the Heat to a 8-0 victory over the Prospects.

27 Nov: In a 19-inning epic, in which the Metros finally exited victorious over the Roos 5-1, catcher Maurice Ellison went 5-9, including 3 doubles. 3 of his 5 hits came in extra innings.

28 Nov: Rafael Lopez threw a 3-hit shutout in a 8-0 Metros spanking of the Cowboys. He struck out 2.

29 Nov: For the second time in November, Simon Avery went 5-5, this time helping the Venom overcome Brisbane 5-2.

Notable Injuries

6 Nov: James Thwaites (.283/.383/.381, 2HR) was diagnosed with a torn ligament in his thumb. He would miss 3 weeks while it healed.

6 Nov: The Roos lost another of their starting pitchers, Todd Upton (2-5, 5.86 ERA, 4.93 FIP, 1.67 WHIP), for 7 weeks with a strained oblique.

11 Nov: Jai Jolly (4-1, 3.83 ERA, 5.18 FIP, 1.19 WHIP) would miss 2 months with a hamstring strain.

12 Nov: Simon Bell (.290/.342/.486, 7HR) tore his latissimus dorsi muscle while swinging at a pitch. He would be gone the rest of the season.

13 Nov: The Thunder would be without the services of Edward Bebbington (.281/.310/.331, 10 stolen bases) for 4 weeks after he strained a hamstring.

17 Nov: Gavin ‘Red’ Liddell (.270/.337/.346) would miss 2 weeks with a strained rib cage muscle.

26 Nov: Cavalry 3B Ivan ‘Stinky’ Kennelly (apparently he was quite stinky) strained his hamstring and would miss 4 weeks. He was hitting .263/.275/.338 on the year, with 2HR.

28 Nov: 23 y/o Blue Sox SP Rhys England (5-3, 3.43 ERA, 3.90 FIP, 1.12 WHIP) would miss 6 months with a torn ligament in his elbow.

Notable Trades/Signings

3 Nov: To avoid any arbitration hassles, the Metros worked out a 1-year extension with Ashley Spargo.

9 Nov: Adelaide finalized a 1-year extension with Marcello ‘Frisky’ Greenway.

Month Awards

Rookie of the Month: 24 y/o Fury RF Victor Howell. He was .323/.371/.625 for the month, 31-96, with 7HR.

Hurler of the Month: Metros SP Angelo Roberts. 5-0 in the month, he had a 2.89 ERA, a 3.73 FIP and a 1.33 WHIP.

Slugger of the Month: Beau Tyson. 42-118. .356/.398/.559, with 6HR and 27RBI.

Other Notes

30 Nov: Arthur Sproule was in the thick of it during November, getting a Hitter of the Week award, and generally tearing up opposition pitching. He earned something else on the 30th of November: a suspension for 8 games. Cowboys reliever Mike Faulkner (also suspended 8 games) beaned him, he took offense, benches cleared, actual punches may or may not have been thrown. Brawls were fairly common in the AUNZBL, but 8 games was quite a long suspension, especially considering it was both players’ first offense.

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The Venom were 18-10 in November, to extend their lead over the Aces (15-13) to 9 games. The Heat (14-14) sat a game further back.

In the NSWNZ the Thunder (15-13 in Nov.) held a 2-game advantage over the Metros (17-9). The Metros led the league in runs scored, batting average, and HR. The rest of the division were struggling to play above .400.

While it was really far too early to be talking Triple Crown, some media couldn’t help themselves, seeing as Christos Ross led the league in average, HR, and RBI. He also hogged the top spot on most of the other batting leaderboards.

Rex Rees came back for the last game of November, and went 4-5, including a HR (#10) and 3 ribbies, but one had to wonder if he’d lost too much ground while on the sideline to renew his challenge for the HR crown.

Karl Rice, closing in on 2,000 hits, was tied with Ross for most hits at the end of November, with 79.

Adelaide’s Russell Puckeridge had the league’s best ERA (2.54) and most wins (9). Fellow starter Randy Coulton had the best FIP (2.73) and best Pitcher’s WAR (3.0). Another Venomeer, Joshua Cheadle, led the league in Ks (79) and, not surprisingly, in K/9 (10.56).

Standings, Dec 1

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2032/2033 Season - December

Notable Performances

5 Dec: Karl Rice got himself a 20-game hit streak. After a day off, his streak would end on 7 Dec.

8 Dec: Marcello Greenway led the Venom to a 3-0 shutout of the Cavalry, allowing only 4 hits and 1 walk. He struck out 2.

9 Dec: The biggest highlight of Sydney’s 14-3 crushing of Hobart was Rowan Tamblyn’s 6-6 (solo HR, 5 singles). He scored 5 runs and drove in 4.

20 Dec: Randy Britton led the Bandits to a 7-0 shutout victory over the Cowboys. He allowed 6 hits, and struck out 6.

29 Dec: Blue Sox 1B Patrick Gulledge was 6-6 as Sydney ravaged the Bandits 16-1.

Notable Injuries

7 Dec: Fu Lao (7-3, 3.21 ERA, 3.98 FIP, 1.04 WHIP) would be out for a couple weeks with a herniated disc in his back.

13 Dec: November rookie of the month Victor Howell (.293/.361/.498, 10HR) was rubbed out for the rest of the season with a hip strain.

17 Dec: Edward Bebbington (.281/.315/.327) would miss another month, this time because of a sprained elbow suffered in a car crash. Reports indicated Bebbington was a passenger in a car that lost control on a corner and smashed through a fence, ending up on someone’s front lawn. Police were investigating eyewitness accounts that the car was traveling at up to twice the speed limit in the suburban area.

18 Dec: Metros IF Mario Martinez (.260/.318/.392, 6HR) would miss 3 weeks with shoulder soreness.

22 Dec: Thunder SP Carlo ‘Hillbilly’ Schwer (8-5, 4.08 ERA, 4.33 FIP, 1.15 WHIP) was diagnosed with a torn labrum. No more baseball for him in the 2032 season.

25 Dec: The Venom suffered their first major injury of the season, losing Tristan Dryden (.286/.356/.491, 14HR) for 4-5 months with a broken elbow.

Notable Trades/Signings

9 Dec: Melbourne and Adelaide traded outfielders, the Aces sending 31 y/o Steven Worsfold (.243/.275/.387, 8HR) to the Venom in return for 27 y/o Michael Thorne (.247/.306/.342, 2HR).

9 Dec: The Blue Sox surprised many by sending one of their best hitters, 29 y/o Roger Wood (.290/.331/.471, 10HR), to the Aces for 2 catching prospects.

9 Dec: Tristan Dryden worked out a 1-year contract extension with the Venom.

20 Dec: Perth traded 27 y/o LF Gavin Brodbeck (.262/.320/.442, 11HR) and a prospect to Sydney in exchange for 25 y/o 2B Rowan Tamblyn (.296/.342/.395, 5HR).

25 Dec: While the All Star game was being played, Adelaide and Brisbane were finalizing a big trade. 37 y/o Vinnie Egan (.314/.389/.391) would depart Adelaide for sunny Brisbane, while 33 y/o Cameron Dutton (.231/.299/.322 in 137PA) and a pitching prospect packed their bags to become Venomeers.

25 Dec: Another All Star Day trade, but this one a bit weirder. The Prospects sent 35 y/o Alistair Blanksby (3-2, 7.28 ERA, 5.60 FIP, 1.57 WHIP), who’d spent most of his season thus far in the bullpen, plus a cash sum equivalent to Blanksby’s yearly salary to the Bandits, receiving a short-A SS in return, who nobody outside of Hobart seemed to rank as anything more than a career minor leaguer.

29 Dec: The Aces worked out a 1-year contract extension with Roger Wood to avoid any arbitration issues/possible free agent filings at the end of the season.

2031 All Stars

Australian Division

SP Arnold Chappell (BRI) - 7-5, 3.24 ERA
SP Joshua Cheadle (ADE) - 7-1, 3.58 ERA
SP Randy Coulton (ADE) - 6-7, 2.77 ERA
SP Marcello Greenway (ADE) - 11-4, 3.27 ERA
SP Brett Hynes (MEL) - 10-3, 3.35 ERA
SP Russell Puckeridge (ADE) - 10-1, 2.74 ERA
SP Todd Thompson (BRI) - 7-5, 3.02 ERA
MR Jason Colenutt (ADE) - 0-2, 19 SV, 4.37 ERA
CL Kade DeJong (CAN) - 1-0, 14 SV, 1.57 ERA
CL Cain Hackworth (ADE) - 4-1, 4 SV, 1.60 ERA
CL Lance Ough (HOB) - 1-2, 17 SV, 3.45 ERA
CL Dan Vankrimpen (MEL) - 4-3, 20 SV, 3.96 ERA
C Simon Avery (ADE) - .337/.363/.422, 2 HR, 40 RBI
C Bradley Hibbert (CAN) - .244/.360/.453, 13 HR, 38 RBI
1B Karl Rice (PER) - .349/.398/.486, 6 HR, 35 RBI
1B Beau Tyson (ADE) - .323/.362/.531, 15 HR, 65 RBI
1B Roland Clow (CAN) - .321/.370/.493, 10 HR, 38 RBI
2B Alan Pye (HOB) - .281/.323/.359, 2 HR, 25 RBI
3B Bailey Johnston (BRI) - .294/.402/.470, 8 HR, 34 RBI
3B Ramiro Madrigal (ADE) - .308/.425/.450, 7 HR, 26 RBI
3B Harley Puckeridge (PER) - .312/.352/.523, 15 HR, 55 RBI
SS Andre Maybury (ADE) - .332/.385/.473, 7 HR, 53 RBI
LF Vaughan Skuse (PER) - .304/.362/.488, 13 HR, 51 RBI
LF Roger Wood (MEL) - .300/.341/.474, 12 HR, 44 RBI
LF Christos Ross (HOB) - .322/.367/.571, 17 HR, 67 RBI
LF Tristan Dryden (ADE) - .288/.359/.495, 14 HR, 59 RBI
CF Brad Dalley (PER) - .315/.363/.485, 4 HR, 28 RBI
RF Bruce Acheson (CAN) - .326/.384/.460, 3 HR, 24 RBI

NSWNZ Division

SP Dylan Cully (CEN) - 6-3, 2.89 ERA
SP Edwin Haynes (CHR) - 7-4, 3.59 ERA
SP Angus Kesterton (WEL) - 8-3, 3.16 ERA
SP Bradley Lundgren (NEW) - 5-2, 3.13 ERA
SP Angelo Roberts (AUC) - 12-2, 3.21 ERA
SP Brendon Vernon (NEW) - 7-4, 2.73 ERA
MR Isaac Goddard (CEN) - 1-0, 1 SV, 1.35 ERA
MR Bert Olson (WEL) - 1-0, 0.72 ERA
MR Mitchell Walker (CEN) - 4-1, 1 SV, 2.06 ERA
CL Alan Harney (SYD) - 2-4, 15 SV, 3.52 ERA
CL Rhys Jamieson (WEL) - 1-0, 14 SV, 0.60 ERA
CL Sean Morrow (AUC) - 3-3, 17 SV, 2.39 ERA
C Gavin Moss (CEN) - .262/.345/.457, 8 HR, 30 RBI
C Maurice Ellison (AUC) - .425/.462/.592, 4 HR, 19 RBI
1B Patrick Gulledge (SYD) - .339/.413/.541, 10 HR, 39 RBI
1B Arthur Sproule (AUC) - .304/.387/.481, 9 HR, 46 RBI
1B Kelvin Ackland (AUC) - .331/.393/.496, 7 HR, 35 RBI
2B Stefan Blythe (NEW) - .294/.338/.472, 11 HR, 34 RBI
2B Nathaniel Lovett (CEN) - .292/.391/.532, 10 HR, 31 RBI
3B Stewart Warwick (WEL) - .309/.334/.460, 8 HR, 38 RBI
3B Rex Rees (AUC) - .417/.525/.778, 14 HR, 44 RBI
SS Bruce Fry (AUC) - .332/.366/.541, 12 HR, 37 RBI
LF Lian-wei Chua (CEN) - .306/.339/.509, 9 HR, 37 RBI
LF Gavin Brodbeck (SYD) - .269/.324/.452, 11 HR, 52 RBI
CF Steven Penfold (AUC) - .291/.352/.463, 6 HR, 31 RBI
CF Maurice Downes (CHR) - .227/.344/.407, 13 HR, 35 RBI
RF Victor Howell (WEL) - .293/.361/.498, 10 HR, 28 RBI
RF Joshua Eykelbosch (CEN) - .302/.375/.476, 8 HR, 33 RBI

Month Awards

Rookie of the Month: 24 y/o Prospects 1B Alistair Mildren. He got this award by default, it would seem, as there were few fit rookies this season, and none of them really performing. He hit .202/.304/.394 for the month, 20-99, with 5HR and 14BB.

Hurler of the Month: Marcello Greenway. The Venom SP was 5-0 in 5 starts, with a 1.88 ERA, 3.12 FIP, and a 0.73 WHIP. He was 12-4 on the year.

Slugger of the Month: Rex Rees returned from injury to have a dominant month, more than deserving this award. He was 38-91 in December, hitting .418/.509/.659, with 10 doubles, 4HR and 15 walks.

Other Notes

The Venom, 18-8 in the month, slipped below .700 ball. Their lead extended to 17 games as the Aces (10-16) and Heat (9-17) tumbled. The Bandits (15-11) climbed to second-equal in the Australian.

In the NSWNZ the Thunder (18-8) extended their lead to 10 games as the Metros (10-16) had a poor month.

Christos Ross (.335/.379/.612) dropped back a bit in the hitting stakes, but still maintained the lead in the HR race (20) and the RBI standings (75, 2 more than Beau Tyson). His 4.6 WAR was 4 points better than Rex Rees, who hadn’t yet had enough ABs to figure on the batting average leaderboard.

Karl Rice (.346/.394/.478, 4 triples, 6HR) had the most hits, with 118. He needed only 32 hits to reach 2,000 career.

Bruce Acheson (.331/.389/.472) already had 33 doubles at the midpoint of the season. In his 4th season in the majors, the 25 y/o was yet to have a year where he hit below .300. That being said, he’d only had more than 500PA in his 1st year in the AUNZBL, fighting with injuries the last two seasons.

Rory Henderson missed out on All Star selection, but led the league in saves, with 27. He also had 7 wins to his name.

Randy Coulton (7-7) had the best ERA (2.71) and the best FIP (2.84). He also had the best K/BB, striking out 5.11 batters for every 1 he walked. His 4.0 WAR was best among qualified pitchers.

Standings, Jan 1

[Izz]

2032/2033 Season - January

Notable Performances

5 Jan: In his 14th season in the majors, 41 y/o Dermott Ford, having a down 2032 by his lofty standards, passed the 2,500 hit mark, the first AUNZBL player to do so. He did it in the bottom of the 1st inning of a 7-2 win over the Prospects with a fly-single to shallow centre. He went on to hit 3-5 for the game. Ford, a free agent at season’s end, spent time at the aftermatch presser thanking by name many coaches and players who he felt had helped him achieve this lofty milestone. Ford entered the league at its inception in 2019 as a 28 y/o and had put together an impressive career stat-line of .319/.363/.418. He said he’d love to reach 100HR before he hung up his cleats. He was currently on 96 and had yet to hit any in 2032.

9 Jan: Ramiro Madrigal went 5-5 as the Venom eased past the Fury 7-2.

25 Jan: Bert Blanksby showed he still had it in his second start for the Cavalry, restricting the Fury to 4 hits and 1 walk in a 6-0 shutout victory (see Trades section below for details on how Blanksby ended up in Canberra).

26 Jan: Christos Ross was 5-5 as the Prospects squeaked past the Blue Sox 9-8.

26 Jan: Karl Rice recorded hit #2000, the 5th AUNZBL player to do so. Rice was leading the league in hitting average at the time.

30 Jan: Simon Avery collected 5 hits for the 3rd time this season, this time in a 17-inning epic. Avery went 5-8 as Adelaide prevailed 12-7. It was the 5th time Avery had hit 5 times in a game at ML-level.

30 Jan: Arnold Chappell blanked the Cavalry on the back of 5 hits and 2 strikeouts, as the Bandits romped away to a 14-0 win.

Notable Injuries

4 Jan: Sterling Caporn (0-1 in 2 starts) succumbed to injury again, this being put on the DL with chronic back soreness, which would keep him sidelined for at least 3 weeks.

4 Jan: The Blue Sox would’ve been gutted to receive news that Nicholas Quinn, received in a trade only 2 days before, would miss 5 weeks with shoulder tendinitis. He managed 1AB for his new club before the injury.

6 Jan: Stefan Blythe (.288/.333/.467, 13HR, 6 triples) fractured his hand and would miss the next 5-6 weeks of the Roos campaign.

10 Jan: The Roos would be without Marcello Caffyn (.273/.320/.487, 14HR) for 4 weeks after he tore ligaments in his ankle.

12 Jan: The league’s tallest position player, Raul Gomez (.307/.387/.456, 8HR), would miss 3 weeks with a strained calf muscle.

14 Jan: Harley Puckeridge (.297/.343/.504, 18HR) strained his oblique in a collision while attempting to cross home plate in a win over Melbourne. Puckeridge had homered twice in the game.

20 Jan: Todd Thompson (8-9, 3.63 ERA, 3.71 FIP, 1.25 WHIP) faced 2 months out of the game recovering from a torn triceps.

26 Jan: Aces 1B Manchu Liao (.282/.373/.403, 5HR) would spend 5-6 months on the sidelines after he broke his kneecap.

27 Jan: Roos SP Bradley Lundgren (7-3, 2.79 ERA, 3.27 FIP, 1.32 WHIP) would be 2-3 months on the sideline with a partially torn labrum.

Notable Trades/Signings

2 Jan: The Blue Sox traded 2 prospects to Hobart in exchange for 25 y/o RF Nicholas Quinn (.303/.340/.398, 3HR, 256PA).

9 Jan: The Metros sent regular starting catcher Ashley Spargo (28 y/o, .268/.351/.457, 10HR) to the Aces in return for 1 fringe ML player and a stud pitching prospect.

12 Jan: The Prospects (45-53) were desperate to turn their season around and made 2 deals on the 12th in an attempt to strengthen their rotation. First, they dealt 29 y/o SP Drew Wakely (3-12, 7.46 ERA, 4.04 FIP, 1.83 WHIP) to the Aces in return for a stud 3B prospect. Then they sent 28 y/o IF Xavier Lovett (.273/.324/.352, 3HR in 287PA) to the Cavalry in return for 34 y/o SP Simon ‘Dude’ Stobbie (5-7, 7.55 ERA, 5.83 FIP, 1.71 WHIP). Most of the experts agreed that the Prospects’ issues were less with the pitchers than with the fielders behind them. At the time of the trade, they were ranked 10th out of 12 in defensive efficiency.

15 Jan: Hobart made another move, this time sending 29 y/o SP Carlos Frost (3-5, 4.08 ERA, 4.02 FIP, 1.34 WHIP) to Sydney for 21 y/o MR, and possible future starter, Cameron Weymouth (0-3, 4.21 ERA, 4.52 FIP, 1.32 WHIP).

17 Jan: 42 y/o Bert Blanksby, rehabbing at AAA after a 14-month layoff due to a torn flexor tendon, was traded by the Heat to the Cavalry in return for 25 y/o 1B Alonso ‘Champagne’ Mendoza (.343/.419/.498, 5HR in 241PA) and a prospect.

23 Jan: The Venom traded 34 y/o SS Matthew Flynn (.246/.308/.404, 5HR) to the Aces in return for a 25 y/o fringe-ML reliever and a stud 1B prospect.

26 Jan: The Cowboys shipped off 28 y/o Raymond Dempsey (.270/.333/.494, 19HR) to the Aces in return for 27 y/o MR/CL Charlie Sheelah (3-1, 3 saves, 2.03 ERA, 3.55 FIP, 1.07 WHIP) and a minor leaguer.

26 Jan: 26 y/o CF Joshua Eykelbosch (.282/.353/.430, 9HR), in the middle of a career year, was sent to Brisbane by Central Coast in return for 2 minor leaguers, 1 of whom would go into the Thunder ML bullpen.

29 Jan: The big trades continued, this time seeing the Heat send 25 y/o 2B Stefan ‘Gremlin’ Ballard (.267/.287/.310) and a prospect to Brisbane in exchange for 27 y/o SP Rodney Bannon (7-11, 5.05 ERA, 4.41 FIP, 1.55 WHIP).

30 Jan: The Cavalry shipped off 29 y/o SS Wes Liddell (.273/.319/.384, 7HR) to the Prospects for 3 minor leaguers.

Month Awards

Rookie of the Month: Alonzo Mendoza. The 25 y/o Honduran put up the following numbers in January: 37-101, 5HR, 9BB, .366/.416/.584.

Hurler of the Month: Perth starter Neil Okolita. After a horrible first half, he put together an excellent month, 4-1 in 6 starts, with a 2.22 ERA, 3.45 FIP, 1.07 WHIP.

Slugger of the Month: Aces SS Brendon Baker. .374/.417/.617, 40-107, 2 triples, 5HR.


Other Notes

The Venom continued to be the team to beat in the Australian, even though they were only playing around .500 (15-14) in the month. The Heat began a climb from the ashes, a 21-8 month seeing them with the 3rd best record in the comp. The Aces (17-12) also improved.

Central Coast’s 16-13 month saw them extend their lead to 12 games in the NSWNZ. The Cowboys (19-10) leapfrogged a fading Metros (11-18) to be jostling with the Aces for the 2nd wildcard spot.

Ross (.334/.381/.598, 24HR) maintained his lead in the HR race, and his 5.8 WAR was 2 points better than Rex Rees (.395/.492/.675, 19HR) though Rees had played 32 less games for his 5.6.

Stewart Warwick (.296/.323/.449, 12HR) was having something of a revival year, his 32 doubles good enough for 3rd-best in the AUNZBL.

Not only did Ross lead the HR charts, he also led the league in triples, his 9 two better than next best Wally Laing (.267/.307/.419, 9HR).

Joshua Cheadle (10-1, 3.21 ERA, 2.95 FIP, 1.12 WHIP) not only led the league in Ks (158), K/9 (11.26), and Opponent’s AVG (.211) but also found himself leading the league in FIP at the end of January, his 2.95 the only FIP among qualified pitchers below 3.00.

After somewhat of a breakout season in 2031, Cooper Ahernfeld found himself in not such a great place in 2032, leading the league in losses with 15. In equal-second with 14, Joshua Farrell was amazingly coming 2nd in the league in Pitcher’s WAR, with 4.4.

Standings, Feb 1

[Izz]

2032/2033 Season - February

Notable Performances

4 Feb: Steven Worsfold went 5-6 in his side’s 10-inning 11-15 loss to the Cowboys.

5 Feb: The Metros punished the Aces 21-6, including 8HR. Within this offensive storm, catcher Maurice Ellison was 5-6.

7 Feb: Bronson Knight, in only his 3rd ML start, guided the Fury to a 4-0 victory over the Blue Sox, allowing only 4 hits and 2 walks, and striking out 2.

9 Feb: Perhaps to celebrate his contract extension, Leo Clow went 6-6, all of them singles, driving in 3. It was to no avail however, as his Bandits went down 13-16 to the Cowboys.

18 Feb: Rex Hagerty went 5-5 for the Bandits, including a solo HR and 5RBI, but that wasn’t enough, as the Metros prevailed 18-11.

19 Feb: Thunder SP Alan Neill conceded only 4 hits and 1 walk, fanning 2, on his way to 13-0 shutout pasting of the Roos.

26 Feb: Aces CF Wally Laing hit in his 20th consecutive game.

Notable Injuries

1 Feb: Gavin Brodbeck (.255/.307/.415, 14HR) fractured his finger. 2-3 months on the sideline.

1 Feb: Russell Roberts (8-5, 4.67 ERA, 4.88 FIP, 1.53 WHIP) was rubbed out for the season with a torn meniscus in his knee.

2 Feb: Roos’ star Elliot Wilkins (.309/.379/.488, 17HR) would miss 1-2 weeks with an oblique strain.

7 Feb: Metros backend starter Rafael Lopez (10-7, 4.19 ERA, 4.37 FIP, 1.33 WHIP) would miss the rest of the season with shoulder inflammation.

11 Feb: Nicholas Quinn wasn’t doing so well recovering from shoulder tendinitis. He would miss a further 2-3 weeks of game time.

14 Feb: In terrible news for the Metros and SP Jay Devereux (5-15, 6.28 ERA, 4.92 FIP, 1.56 WHIP), it was learned he would need 11 months to recover from a torn elbow ligament. In the middle of his worst ever season, perhaps Devereux wasn’t too disappointed.

15 Feb: Arnold Chappell (10-10, 4.04 ERA, 4.19 FIP, 1.24 WHIP) would miss 3-4 weeks with a strained hamstring.

18 Feb: The Thunder would be without the services of Lance Peet (10-9, 4.46 ERA, 4.48 FIP, 1.36 WHIP) for 2 weeks with elbow tendinitis.

20 Feb: Alan Pye (.294/.331/.391, 5HR) would miss the next 2 weeks of the Prospects’ campaign with back tightness.

20 Feb: Rick Fallon (.303/.355/.424, 10HR) would be out 2-3 weeks with hamstring tendinitis.

21 Feb: Bert Blanksby (2-1, 3.68 ERA, 3.58 FIP, 1.26 WHIP) managed 7 starts for the Cavalry, including a shutout, before tearing the flexor tendon in his elbow again. This tear was not as severe as the previous one, but it would still be 8 months before he could pitch again. The 42 y/o, 176-124 lifetime, who would be a free agent at season’s end was philosophical about the injury, saying “these things happened,” and that he’d “take some time to think about his future once the season was all done and dusted.”

Notable Trades/Signings

3 Feb: Brisbane catcher Leo Clow, a very handy hitter who flew under the radar at Brisbane, signed a 1-year contract extension with the club.

6 Feb: Joshua Cheadle and the Thunder worked out a 1-year extension, thus avoiding any arbitration messes at the end of the season.

Month Awards

Rookie of the Month: Alistair Mildren, again seemingly winning by default. He was 23-96 for the month, hitting .240/.308/.417, with 5HR and 10BB.

Hurler of the Month: Randy Coulton. 4-1, 1.80 ERA, 2.98 FIP, 0.91 WHIP, 35 Ks in 45.0 IP.

Slugger of the Month: Rex Rees continued to hit like a man on a mission, going .371/.492/.577 for the month, 36-97, with 5HR and 17BB.

Other Notes

The Venom (17-9 in Feb) continued to set the pace. Already they were overwhelming favorites to win the Championship. The Aces and Heat had no chance of catching them, but were fighting hard for a wildcard spot.

The Thunder’s lead dropped to 10 games by the end of February, but one had to think they were too far ahead for the Cowboys to haul them in. The Metros improved from January to be neck-and-neck with the Aces in the wildcard race.

Rex Rees finally qualified for the batting average leaderboard, his .389 well ahead of the rest of the field.

Christos Ross battled minor injury and what some might term a ‘form slump’ to fall behind Beau Tyson in the HR leaderboard. Tyson, batting cleanup for the Venom, was well ahead in the RBI race. It also looked like he might reach 200 hits, sitting on 185 at month’s end.

Maurice Downes broke the 100 walk barrier, with 101 at March 1st, and nearly had a century of runs, too, on 95, behind Adelaide’s Ramiro Madrigal (103).

Rex Rees led all batters with 7.4 WAR.

Maurice Greenway had chalked up 20 wins with a month left in the season, finishing February at 20-6.

Dylan Cully now had the best FIP (2.95) among qualified pitchers, the best WHIP (1.00) and the best ERA (2.34).

Cheadle looked a good chance to break 200 Ks, with 184 on March 1st.

Standings, Mar 1

[Izz]

2032/2033 Season - March

Notable Performances

3 Mar: Neil Okolita threw a 4-hit shutout for the Heat, as they stopped the Aces 6-0. He struck out 5.

3 Mar: In the same game, Okolita made sure Wally Laing’s hit streak ended at 22 games.

7 Mar: Beau Tyson went 5-5, with 6RBI, but the Venom lost 11-12 to the Bandits.

7 Mar: Gavin Dethridge was 5-9 as the Thunder beat the Blue Sox 7-1 in 16 innings.

16 Mar: The 2032 Venom were packed to the rafters with offense. Today, Stefan Ballard was 5-7 in a regular innings 18-12 victory over Perth.

Notable Injuries

2 Mar: Roos SP Elliot Wilson (9-16, 5.14 ERA, 5.03 FIP, 1.48 WHIP) would be out of the game for 9 months with a torn flexor tendon in his elbow.

10 Mar: Arthur Sproule (.274/.343/.444, 17HR) would be out for the rest of the season with a sprained ankle. The Metros would miss the services of their Rule-5 Draft-acquired DH.

13 Mar: Rex Rees would not only miss the rest of the regular season with a herniated disc in his neck, but he would also be ineligible for the batting title, falling short by 12PA. He finished the regular season hitting .391/.492/.645, with 25HR and 66BB.

Notable Trades/Signings

4 Mar: The Metros worked out a 1-year contract extension with SP Angelo Roberts, who’d already won 18 games on the season.

Other Notes

19 Mar: Last season, Michael Dickson took the Prospects to their first postseason. Today, he found himself looking for a new job, fired by the Prospects (71-84).

#

The Venom (103-59) wrapped up the Australian with plenty of time to spare. The Aces finished 2nd and picked up a wildcard slot.

In the NSWNZ, the Thunder also won 100 games (101-61). The Cowboys second-half surge saw them finish with the 3rd-best record in the league: 92-70. The Metros couldn’t cope with the late loss of Rees, Sprague, Devereux and Roberts to injury and fell 4 games short of a wildcard berth.

Simon Avery earned the AUNZBL batting title with an average of .354. Beau Tyson’s 33HR was good enough to lead the league, but was one of the lowest totals in recent years. So much for the experts predicting preseason that the 40HR mark would be broken. Tyson (.311/.353/.519) fell agonizingly short of being the first AUNZBL player to drive in 150 runners, but his 146RBI was good enough to set a season AUNZBL record.

Bruce Acheson (.326/.374/.438, 5HR) hit 55 doubles in the season which, while not enough for 1st on the season record list, was more than good enough for second.

Maurice Downes (.233/.360/.408) drew 116 walks and scored 115 runs.

Rex Rees’ 8.1 WAR was 2.4 better than next best Christos Ross (.314/.362/.545, 27HR), but his injuries through the season might hamper a bid for a 3rd successive Slugger of the Year award.

5 players hit over 200 times in the 2032 season. They were: Beau Tyson (211), Roger Wood (208), Bruce Acheson (205), Simon Avery (205), Karl Rice (202).

Marcello Greenway ended up with ‘only’ 21 wins on the season, going 1-3 in March, with a 5.90 ERA, 4.61 FIP and 1.48 WHIP. While he led the league in wins, his overall ERA (3.89) and FIP (3.92) weren’t anywhere near the top of the pitching leaderboards. He was, however, the only pitcher to record 2 shutouts in the season.

Rory Henderson led the league in saves, with 43. He also accumulated 13 wins. He was the only pure relief/closing pitcher to have over 10 wins on the season.

Cheadle broke the 200K mark, racking up 206. He was the only pitcher to record more than 200 strikeouts. Another Joshua, Farrell, was next best, with 197.

Dylan Cully became the first starting pitcher since 2028 to allow less than 1 walk or hit per inning pitched, with 0.99. He also had best ERA (2.40), best FIP (2.98), and best Hits per 9 (6.96). He had a 15-7 win-loss record.

Randy Coulton had the best pitcher’s WAR, with 7.4.

Standings, EORS

[Izz]

2032 Division Finals - Melbourne Aces v Adelaide Venom

The Venom were overwhelming favorites. They scored 895 runs in the season, the best in the league, and conceded only 607, 2nd best in the AUNZBL. Melbourne, on the other hand, were ranked 8th (out of 10) in runs scored, and 6th in runs conceded. Adelaide had a batting average of .289 and an ERA of 3.43. The Aces had an ERA of 4.36 and a batting average of .278.

Game 1

In an unusual move, Melbourne went with Drew Wakely (6-18, 6.39 ERA, 4.33 FIP, 1.73 WHIP) to start Game 1. The Venom would start Randy Coulton (14-10, 2.92 ERA, 3.04 FIP, 1.10 WHIP).

The unusual move would pay off. Wakely threw 8 innings, allowing only 3 earned runs on the back of 5 hits and 4 walks. Coulton, on the other hand, got busted up for 10 hits and 2 walks in 6 innings, allowing 4 earned runs. Mario Amaya allowed 4 more in 2/3 of an inning in a 5-run 7th, and while that was all the scoring, it was more than enough to see Melbourne win 8-3.

Axel Stennings was 4-5, including a HR. Andre Maybury hit a solo shot for the Venom.

Game 2

Brandon Shearer (4-6 in 18 starts, 4.92 ERA, 4.87 FIP, 1.40 WHIP) for the Aces, Russell Puckeridge (16-6, 3.05 ERA, 3.65 FIP, 1.21 WHIP) for the Venom.

The Venom put on 4 in the 2nd and added a couple more insurance runs, which was just as well, as the Aces scored 2 in the 5th and 2 more in the 9th to fall just short. Venom 6-4.

Shearer only lasted 2.2 innings, allowing 5 earned runs off the back of 3 hits and 4 walks. On the other side of the mound, Puckeridge threw 7, for 6 hits and no walks, striking out 3.

Luis Chavez and Raymond Dempsey both hit 2-run HRs for the Aces. Stephen Cross hit a solo shot for the Venom, and Simon Avery and Ramiro Madrigal hit 2-run shots.

Game 3

Mitchell Gallagher (11-11, 4.22 ERA, 3.74 FIP, 1.29 WHIP) started for the Aces. 21-game winner Marcello Greenway finally got on the mound for the Venom.

The Aces took a 4-3 lead into the 8th, and Byron Rackham come on to relieve Gallagher, who’d allowed 11 hits and 1 walk for 3 earned runs. Vaughan Lockrey and Cameron Dutton singled to start the inning, Lockrey advancing to 3rd on a run-and-hit play. Steven Worsfold struck out and leftie sometime-starter Ben Ross came to the mound. Rodney Hornby singled past 2nd on a 1-2 pitch to bring the tying run home. Simon Avery singled to load the bases, and then Mao Tseng singled to score another run. Ramiro Madrigal hit a fly ball deep enough to centre to score another and suddenly the Venom had the lead.

The Aces would start a rally in the bottom of the 9th, but could only score 1. Venom 6-5 to take a 2-1 lead in the series.

Greenway would get the win, allowing only 6 hits in his 7 innings for 4 runs (3 earned).

Beau Tyson hit a 2-run HR in the 6th for the Venom.

Game 4

Wakely versus Coulton again, Melbourne in a must-win situation.

This one went to 10 innings. The Aces would get on the board first in the 3rd, scoring 2. The Venom would make it 2-1 in the 6th, and then go ahead 3-2 in the 7th, thanks to a 2-run blast from Beau Tyson. The Aces would even it up in the bottom of the inning and no more runs were scored until the top of the 10th. The Venom would score the go-ahead run by going walk, single, walk, sac-fly, and while the Aces got runners on 2nd and 3rd with 2 outs in the bottom of the innings, they weren’t able to convert. Venom 4, Melbourne 3, and the Venom had the chance to play for their maiden Championship.

Coulton threw 8, conceding 7 hits and a walk, striking out 5. Cheadle got the win, throwing 2 scoreless innings to finish it.

Hurler of the Series went to Puckeridge.

Slugger of the Series was awarded to Andre Maybury, who was .333/.474/.533 in the series.

While Beau Tyson hit 2 important home runs, he only hit .188/.316. His slugging, though, was .625.

[Izz]

2032 Division Finals - Christchurch Cowboys v Central Coast Thunder

There was an element of grudge match to this series, at least on the part of the Cowboys. After their weak capitulation in last year’s Championship, there had been a ton of media coverage roundly labelling them as mentally soft and lacking drive. Manager Mitch Cornell, who was yet to have a losing season in charge of the team, happily admitted that the desire to prove “you media blowhards” wrong had played a big part in their second-half revival. Perhaps because of Cornell’s attitude toward the media, most baseball sites predicted a 3-1 series victory to the Thunder.

The Thunder had the best pitching and defense, but only the 7th best offense. The Cowboys were ranked 3rd in each category.

Game 1

Cully versus Marcello Doig (17-8, 3.26 ERA, 3.49 FIP, 1.21 WHIP).

Cully was magnificent through 6.2 innings, allowing only a solitary hit and 3 walks, for 1 earned run, striking out 6. Doig wasn’t bad either, but the 6 hits and 3 walks he allowed in 7 innings led to 4 earned runs. He did strike out 5.

The Cowboys couldn’t get anything going off the relievers either, and the Thunder ran out 6-1 winners. Not surprisingly, most of the news-site articles focused less on Cully’s excellent pitching and more on the Cowboys’ supposed lack of drive and mental fortitude.

Gavin Moss hit a solo HR for the Thunder.

Game 2

Edwin Haynes (12-7, 3.44 ERA, 3.60 FIP, 1.18 WHIP) would start for Christchurch, while Sterling Caporn (6-4 in 12 starts, 3.20 ERA, 4.81 FIP, 1.14 WHIP) started for the Thunder.

Christchurch answered their critics in the best possible way, restricting the Thunder to only 5 baserunners (2 hits, 3 walks) all game, and not allowing them to cross home plate.

Caporn was knocked out of the game in the bottom of the 5th, having allowed 7 hits and 2 walks for 5 earned runs. Haynes, on the other hand, struck out 7 in 6.1, for 1 hit and 3 walks. Phil McLaren came on in relief and threw 2.2 innings for 1 hit, striking out 4. Comprehensive 7-0 victory to the Cowboys.

Tye Bethune homered for the Cowboys.

Game 3

Luigi Crabtree (7-4 in 22 starts, 2.51 ERA, 3.09 FIP, 1.11 FIP) would take on Paul McKinna (15-12, 3.42 ERA, 4.06 FIP, 1.15 WHIP).

The Cowboys scored 2 across the bottom of the 1st and 2nd, including a solo HR from Noah Harris. The Thunder would even it up in the 5th, a Trent Parson solo shot getting things going, then Gavin Moss (who walked) scoring off a Jack Sen double.

McKinna would leave after 7, having allowing 4 hits and 2 walks for 2 earned runs, fanning 7. Crabtree would stay on into the 8th. He allowed a lead-off single, then got the next 2 outs before heading to the showers. Unfortunately, reliever Stefan Tucker gave up a double to Arnold Tipping and the Cowboys would go ahead 3-2. That would be enough, as Charlie Sheelah retired the side in order in the top of the 9th to end the game.

Crabtree (7.2 IP, 8 hits, 0 BB, 3 Ks) would get the L next to his name. McKinna didn’t get the win, but he did get player of the game.

Game 4

Cully v Haynes. Haynes would only last 3, still tired from Game 2. He gave up 5 hits and a walk in those 3 innings, for 1 earned run. The Cowboys scored 3 in the bottom of the 3rd, thanks to a 2-run HR from Maurice Downes, followed by a solo blast to Raul Gomez.

And that would be all the scoring in the game, the Thunder creating opportunities, but unable to convert, and the Cowboys finding hitting difficult.

Cully threw 5.2 innings for the loss, allowing 3 hits and 5 walks.

3-1 Cowboys, both in the game and in the series. Revenge! Though whether they could carry the fire into the Championship series remained to be seen.

Hurler of the Series: Edwin Haynes. 9.1IP (Game 4 thrown on very short rest) for only 6 hits and 4 walks, for a 0.96 ERA.

In a series that was hard on hitters, the Slugger of the Series award was given to a controversial winner: Maurice Downes. He hit .182/.471/.455 in the Division Finals, with 1HR and 4RBI. His OBP was highest amongst both teams.

[Izz]

2032 Championship - Christchurch Cowboys v Adelaide Venom

The Venom had won 9 of 16 regular season encounters, and the media had the odds stacked heavily in their favour in this series. There were a few sites, however, that predicted a close contest, as the Cowboys were good run producers and more than decent defensively. Manager Rory Graham, who’d made the jump from bench coach to manager in 2030, and had made the playoffs each season since, was determined to win it all this year.

“We folded way too easily last season,” he said in one interview. “That grates me. Last year we weren’t good enough. We should’ve been, but we weren’t. This year, I know we’re good enough. I hope the boys know it too.”

Game 1

Doig v Puckeridge on his home mound.

The Venom took this one in a boil-over. Doig lasted 4.1 innings, in which time he gave up 9 hits and walked 3, for 7 earned runs. The Venom didn’t stop there, taking 5 runs off Elliot Browne in less than an inning. The Cowboys did score runs, hitting 3HR off Puckeridge (Downes, Tipping, Gomez--2-run shot), but 12 beats 4 every time.

Surprisingly, the Venom only blasted one HR, a 2-run effort from Cameron Dutton in the 5th. They did hit 5 doubles, though.

Puckeridge threw 6 innings for 7 hits and 2 walks, only 2 of the 4 runs scored off him earned.

Game 2

Sugimoto Okubo (7-10, 4.75 ERA, 4.39 FIP, 1.43 WHIP) would start for the Cowboys, facing off against Bailey Sweeny (10-11, 5.38 ERA, 4.34 FIP, 1.58 WHIP).

This one was a lot closer. The Venom scored 2 in the bottom of the 1st, but the Cowboys scored 4 across the 3rd and 4th to take the lead. Mao Tseng got 1 back in the 5th with a solo effort, and that was all the scoring through 8.

The Cowboys couldn’t add to their lead in the 9th, and came out in the bottom of the inning with the score 4-3, and closer Charlie Sheelah striding to the mound. Unfortunately, things did not go well for him. Ramiro Madrigal socked a 1-0 pitch between short and third for a single. Andre Maybury swatted the first pitch he saw over the head of 2B to put the winning run on first. Beau Tyson came to the plate, swung at and missed the first pitch, walked out of the box and gave himself a stern talking to, then calmly worked the count to 3-1. Sheelah gave him a pitch to pull, and he didn’t miss, cracking the ball 366 feet back into the left-field stand for a walk-off 3-run HR.

6-4 Venom and they took the series lead to 2-0.

Okubo threw 6, for 7 hits and 3 runs. Sweeny hurled 7, allowing 9 hits and 1 walk, with 5 Ks, for 4 earned runs. Cheadle, who threw a hitless top of the 9th, got the win.

Gareth Cobb hit a 2-run HR in the 4th.

Game 3

Edwin Haynes v Randy Coulton. The Cowboys took the lead in the bottom of the 2nd. Downes walked on 4 pitches to lead the inning off, and Tipping brought him home with a double into the left-field corner. Gareth Cobb then doubled to the wall between centre and right to make it 2-0. He advanced to 3rd on a groundout, then came home on another groundout. 3-0 Cowboys.

Maybury launched a solo HR to lead off the top of the 4th. With 2 outs, Dutton got hit by a pitch, advanced to 2nd on a passed ball, and came home on a Stephen Cross single to right-field. 3-2 Cowboys. Gareth Cobb hit a solo HR in the bottom of the inning to make it 4-2.

Mao Tseng led off the top of the 5th with a 408-foot solo dinger. Madrigal walked, then stole second, advancing to third on a wayward throw from the catcher. Maybury groundout to 2nd, but Madrigal was running with the contact and came home. 4-4.

The Venom took the lead in the 6th, after Stephen Cross reached on an error by the 1B (dropped throw). He then stole 2nd base off new pitcher Elliot Browne, then advanced to 3rd on Steven Worsfold’s single to centre. Simon Avery punched one wide of 2nd to bring Cross home. 5-4 Adelaide.

Jason Brice led off the bottom of the inning with a full count double past 3rd. Bransington singled over the shortstop to put runners on the corners with nobody out. Maurice Downes struck out looking, and Bransington was caught stealing second on the same play to make it 2 down. Tipping singled into the hole at short and third to bring Brice home. 5-5.

That was all the scoring until the top of the 9th. Andre Maybury got the Venom on base with a leadoff single. Tyson struck out, and Vaughan Lockrey groundout to shortstop, but stayed at 1st as Maybury’s slide broke up the double play. However, Dutton brought him all the way home with a stern line drive double past the right-fielder. 6-5 Adelaide, with only half an inning to play.

Joshua Cheadle came out to close (he’d been converted to a closer in March and stayed that way in the postseason). Downes flied out to right, and Tipping struck out looking at one at his knees. Gareth Cobb watched a pitch fly by for a strike, then latched onto the 0-1 fastball, sending it 423 feet over left field for his 2nd HR of the game. Ben Page ripped one deep to left centre, but the CF gobbled it up at the warning track. 6-6 and the game was headed to extra innings.

The 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th passed without scoring. Phil McLaren, who’d already thrown 2.1 scoreless innings, came back out in the top of the 14th. Maybury drove a 2-2 pitch to the left field wall for a double. Then Beau Tyson cracked a 1-2 pitch down the line past 1st for another double, bringing the go-ahead run home. McLaren intentionally walked Lockrey, induced a weak flyball to right from Dutton to record the inning’s 1st out, then went to the showers, looking none too happy. Quintin Bruce came out and Mitch Saunders broke his bat while hitting a loopy flyball into left. 2 out, the score 7-6. Tyson was subbed for a pinch runner. Steven Worsfold walked on 4 pitches to load the bases. Then Bruce threw a wild one to the backstop to see the pinch runner score. 8-6. Avery, though, went down on strikes to limit the damage.

Mario Amaya had pitched the previous 3 innings, and he too came out in the bottom of the inning, the Venom looking to get out of this one without tiring the bullpen too badly. Brodie Bransington grounded out to 3rd. Downes singled wide of 1B. Tipping blooped one into right field where it dropped for a single and Downes advanced to 3rd. The winning run at the plate, 1-out.

Cobb singled along the ground past 3rd to bring Downes home. The winning run at 1st, still only 1 down. Ben Page walked. Bases loaded. Noah Harris hit a sharp groundball to short. Too sharp, as it turned out. The throw home was easily in time for the force-out, and the catcher fired it to 1st to complete the double play. 8-7 Adelaide, in 14 innings.

Coulton lasted 8 innings, for only 6 hits and a walk, but 5 earned runs. He struck out 3. Gareth Cobb was 4-5, with 3 runs, 4RBI, 2HR, a dbl, and a walk.

Game 4

The Venom had the chance to do this in straight sets, though if they did, all had to agree the Cowboys were much tougher opponents this time around.

McKinna would face off against Greenway, as the Cowboys fought in front of their home fans to take this to Game 5.

It wasn’t to be. The Venom scored 2 in the first 2 innings to take the early lead. Christchurch evened it up in the 3rd, thanks to a 2-run Jason Brice HR. But the Venom made hay in the 4th, scoring 4 on the back of dbl, popup F5, BB, single, 2-RBI single, 1-0 balk (runner at 3rd scores) leading to BB, K, rbi-single, groundout (5-3). 6-2 Venom.

Bransington hit a solo shot in the 6th to make it 6-3, then Ben Page led off the 7th with a solo HR to make it 6-4. Downes followed up with another solo HR to make it 6-5, but that was as much as the Cowboys could muster.

6-5 Venom, and a clean sweep first Championship victory.

While the Cowboys skipper acknowledged they’d played far better this year than they had last year, the “losing feeling was still just as bitter.”

Greenway threw 7 innings for the win, allowing 5 runs on the back of 8 hits and 2 walks. He struck out 6. McKinna only lasted 3.2 innings, and while the relievers didn’t allow any more runs to score, it was to no avail.

Hurler of the Series must’ve been a hard one to pick, as while all the Venom starters had thrown 6+ innings, all had allowed a few runs. In the end Mario Amaya, who’d spent all of 2032 bar 1 start in the bullpen, got the award. He threw 5.1 innings for 1.69 ERA, allowing only 3 hits and 2 walks, including 4 great innings in the 14-inning epic.

Slugger of the Series went to Cameron Dutton, who was .471/.526/.824, with 1HR and 7RBI.

Cobb was great for the Cowboys, hitting .375/.444/1.000, with 3HR and 6RBI.

[Izz]

2032 Leaderboards

[Izz]

Retirement Class of 2032

2032 was a big year for retirements. First, the players who played in the 2032 season.

Byron Eissens. 45 y/o, 3B. 2019-2032. Career stat-line: .251/.386/.474. 1478 hits, 313HR, 986RBI, 1148BB, 972 runs. Retired as the career leader in walks, and 5th on the all-time HR leaderboard. Had the 5th-best career OBP when he retired. 1-time Slugger of the year (2026). 7 All Star Games, 4 Championships (2019, Cowboys; 2025, Aces; 2026, 2028 Bandits). One of the games’ true superstars, Eissens only had 64PA in 2032, but the public knew he was on his last tour, and gave him an ovation at each one.

Tyler ‘Judge’ Gerlach. 42 y/o, CL. 2019-2032. 66-39, 242 saves, 146 helds, 2.46 ERA, 2.98 FIP, 1.01 WHIP. 911 Ks in 909.0 IP. Retired 5th on the all-time saves list. Never made an All Star Game, 1 Championship, with the 2029 Roos.

Bob Stone. 38 y/o, SP. 2019-2032. 138-167, 4.38 ERA, 4.64 FIP. 450 games, 2489.2IP. 10th in career wins at the time of his retirement. 3 All Star appearances, 2 Championships (2020, Cavalry; 2030, Cowboys).

Now, the players who didn’t find a team, and retired midway through the season.

Allan ‘Hoot’ Lloyd. 37 y/o, 2B. 2019-2031. .313/.393/.381. 2167 hits, 647RBI, 847BB, 198SB, 22HR. Retired 3rd on the all-time hits list, 3rd on the all-time walks list, and retired with the 8th best batting average and 4th best OBP. Held the season record for most singles (183). Many were surprised he didn’t find a team in 2032, thinking he could provide valuable service off the bench. 2 Gold Gloves, 6 All Star selections, 1 Championship, with the 2030 Cowboys.

Jarrod Guerin. 39 y/o, 1B. 2019-2031. .262/.340/.489. 1705 hits, 408HR, 1049RBI, 737BB. Retired as career HR leader, and only player to have reached 400HR, 5th on the RBI leaderboard, 10th on the all-time hit list, 9th on the all-time walk leaderboard. 6-time All Star but, for all his other accomplishments, no Championships.

Jason Deas. 39 y/o, 3B. 2019-2031. .257/.359/.478. 1613 hits, 348HR, 1060RBI, 790BB. Retired 3rd on the HR list, 3rd on the RBI list, and 8th on the walk leaderboard. His 49HR in 2020 was the still the all-time season best. 1-time Slugger of the Year (2021), 6-time All Star, 2 rings (2024, 2029, Roos).

Mike ‘Penguin’ Millar. 41 y/o, RF. 2019-2031. .315/.409/.408. 1790 hits, 855BB, only 507Ks in 6655PAs, 37HRs. Had the 2nd best OBP at the time of his retirement, as well as the 5th-best batting average. He was 9th on the all-time hits list, and 5th in career walks. 5-time All Star, and had the 2nd best hitting streak (25 games) at the time of his retirement. No Championships.

Teddy Tattersall. 39 y/o, CL. 2019-2031. 75-53, 284 saves, 123 helds, 2.42 ERA, 2.74 FIP, 0.99 WHIP. 1048 strikeouts in 930.1 IP. Finished 3rd on the all-time saves list. Never made an All Star game, but did win the 2024 Championship with the Roos.

Carlo Browne. 40 y/o, SP. 2019-2031. 134-89, with 63 saves in 2 seasons as a closer. 3.60 ERA, 3.99 FIP, 1.16 WHIP. 1373 Ks in 1969.0 IP. Hurler of the Year in 2019, he went 5 times to the All Star Game, and won 2 Championships (2020, Blue Sox; 2025, Aces).

[Izz]

2032 Awards

Gold Gloves

Pitcher: Paddy Whitford (Auckland Metros)
Catcher: Simon Avery (Adelaide Venom)
First Baseman: Karl Rice (Perth Heat)
Second Baseman: Mario Martínez (Auckland Metros)
Third Baseman: Alastair Goodwin (Melbourne Aces)
Shortstop: Gavin Liddell (Sydney Blue Sox)
Left Fielder: Brodie Bransington (Christchurch Cowboys)
Center Fielder: Manfred Kessing (Canberra Cavalry)
Right Fielder: Vaughan Skuse (Perth Heat)

Rookie of the Year

Fairly slim pickings in 2032. In the end, 26 y/o (25 during the season) Alonso ‘Champagne’ Mendoza deservedly got the award, hitting .318/.375/.483 in 120 games. He was 128-401, with 26 doubles, 2 triples and 12HR. His WAR was 3.2, his VORP 32.3.

Second in the voting was 24 y/o Roos CF Rod Sadler (.273/.322/.369 in 136 games, with 5 triples and 8HR). 25 y/o Fury RF Victor Howell (.293/.361/.498, 10HR) came 3rd, even though he only had 230PA in the majors in 2032.

Skipper of the Year

In a surprise to the many who expected Venom skipper Rory Graham to take home this gong, the award was given to Gareth Torley of the Thunder, who became the 1st manager to win the title in consecutive years. While the Thunder were knocked out in the opening round of the playoffs, they did rack up 101 wins in the season (behind the Venom, though), and had a +4 Pythagorean record.

Torley, who fired a few punches in his acceptance speech in 2031, was rather more circumspect this year, and made no reference to the Roos’ owner axing his long-time GM on the first day of the offseason.

Hurler of the Year

In another remarkable result, 2032 saw a closer win the Hurler of the Year award for the 1st time. Snubbed for the All Star game, Rory Henderson was smiling so wide on stage his face might’ve cracked, and he could barely get an acceptance speech out, managing a, “Geez, never really expected this, just thought I was here to make up the numbers. Bloody stunned,” and not much more.

The Thunder closer led the league in saves, with 43, and recorded a 13-4 win-loss record, the only pure reliever to notch up 10+ wins in the season. His ERA was 2.59, his FIP 4.12, and his WHIP 1.19. He had an ERA+ of 166, a VORP of 24.6, and a WAR of only 0.4.

Joshua Cheadle finished 2nd, and Dylan Cully 3rd. 20-game winner Marcello Greenway didn’t even make the final ballot. When asked about it after the Awards’ Dinner, Greenway gave a charitable shrug and said, “There’s always next year.”

Slugger of the Year

Skipper of the Year and Hurler of the Year had made the Awards night very interesting, so everybody was on the edge of their seat to see who would take home the Slugger of the Year award. Beau Tyson was a favourite among many, as was Christos Ross. Rex Rees was certainly in the running, but most of the experts felt the fact he didn’t qualify for the hitting award would rule him out.

Those experts were wrong. Rex Rees, a few years back talked up as the ‘next Stewart Warwick,’ was certainly making a good fist of the expectation, as he won his 3rd consecutive Slugger of the Year. In the end, the announcer said, “It was impossible to go past his remarkable WAR, remarkable not only because it was 1.4 better than the next best, Christos Ross, but remarkable because he accumulated it while missing at least 6 weeks of the season.”

Christos Ross finished 2nd, and Beau Tyson 3rd.

[Izz]

2032 Career Leaderboards

[Izz]

Offseason

2032 Notes

ERA shot up to 4.31 in 2032, a 15 point jump from 2031. Batting average rose 4 points, to .270.

League News

Notable Club Happenings

9 Apr: The Prospects dumped their GM of 5 years.

9 Apr: The Roos fired both their GM and manager. GM Alan Yabsley had been with the team since the league’s inception.

Notable Free Agent Signings/Player Contract Extensions

30 Apr: Stewart Warwick signed with the Fury for another year.

3 May: This year’s free agents included:

37 y/o Vinnie Egan
42 y/o Dermott Ford
41 y/o Axel Stennings
36 y/o Jayden Limeburner
32 y/o Ralph Downes
29 y/o Carl Spruijt
33 y/o James Thwaites
31 y/o Brendon Baker
34 y/o Simon Bell
30 y/o Rick Fallon
32 y/o Ben Page
33 y/o Cameron Dutton
30 y/o Jeremy Lowe
28 y/o Sandro Ortega
32 y/o Wes Albertson
30 y/o Luis Chavez
36 y/o Phil McLaren
42 y/o Bert Blanksby
36 y/o Keiran Tennant
32 y/o Sugimoto Okubo
36 y/o Paul McKinna
36 y/o Alistair Blanksby
37 y/o An-yan Bian
32 y/o Sean Morrow
35 y/o Lance Ough
40 y/o Hayden Foreman
33 y/o Rick Hoolahan
29 y/o Lance Peet
26 y/o Marcello Doig
24 y/o Arnold Bourke
26 y/o Zachariah Hutchinson
28 y/o Kane Egan
31 y/o Rafael Lopez

The Cowboys and Aces were worst hit by free agency, losing 14.8 and 14.7 WAR respectively. Perth actually gained 2.3 WAR after free agency and retirements.

#

13 May: An-yan Bian signed with Canberra for 2 years.

14 May: Zachariah Hutchinson signed a mammoth 4-year deal with the Aces.

16 May: The Bandits snared Marcello Doig for 6 years.

18 May: The Aces signed Paul McKinna to a 3-year deal. He would be 40 at the contract’s conclusion. The final year was a vesting option, requiring 180 innings pitched.

18 May: Sean Morrow signed a 3-year deal with the Fury. Many predicted that Morrow would decline on a long-term deal.

21 May: The Cowboys re-signed veteran Phil McLaren for 2 years.

23 May: The Cowboys re-signed another pitcher, this time giving Sugimoto Okubo a 5-year deal.

4 Jun: Hobart signed Justin Filby for 1 year.

9 Jun: Fraser Mullens signed for 2 years with the Heat.

9 Jun: In what many termed an “unusual” signing, the Metros agreed to terms with 29 y/o SP Drew Wakely for 4 years.

12 Jun: The Aces continued their free agent signing spree, this time presenting Lance Peet to the media with the news he would be at the club for the next 4 years.

13 Jun: The next day, the Aces announced they’d signed Elliot Browne for 2 years.

17 Jun: Quintin Bruce signed with the Prospects for 3 seasons.

30 Jun: Lance Ough signed on the dotted line with Wellington for 3 seasons, to the surprise of many, considering how unhappy he was there last time around.

30 Jun: Rafael Lopez signed with the Cavalry for 1 year.

3 Jul: Todd Upton signed with the Cowboys for the 2033 season.

8 Jul: Carlos Frost would be a Prospect again in 2033, signing with the team for 5 years. They must’ve decided they’d made a mistake trading him midseason.

13 Jul: Jarod Hendricks signed for 2 years with the Blue Sox.

18 Jul: Jai Jolly put pen to paper, becoming a member of the Fury for the 2033 season.

27 Jul: Rick Hoolahan signed with the Metros for a year.

12 Aug: The Fury signed Brendon Baker to a 2-year contract.

16 Aug: Cameron Dutton signed with the Cavalry for a season, in what news-sites termed “good value-for-money” for Canberra.

24 Aug: The Thunder signed James Thwaites to a 1-year deal.

5 Sep: Alistair Blanksby signed with Hobart for the season.

5 Sep: Stephen Donovan signed with the Cavalry for 2033.

6 Sep: The Aces signed Luis Chavez for the season.

24 Sep: Ben Page signed with the Cowboys for the year.

27 Sep: The Roos signed Vinnie Egan for 2033.

29 Sep: In a real surprise, the Cowboys signed Bert Blanksby to a 1-year deal. The 42 y/o was still recovering from injury, but word was he’d been signed more for his influence around the clubhouse than to have a prominent pitching role in 2033.

Notable Trades

27 Apr: The Thunder sent 29 y/o 1B Jack Sen (.251/.323/.372, 29HR career) and a minor leaguer to the Venom in return for 27 y/o OF Mao Tseng (.278/.340/.409, 41HR career) and a wad of cash.

7 May: The Venom pulled off a big trade, getting 25 y/o Stefan Ballard (.296/.321/.372 career) for 2 prospects.

28 Jun: The Cowboys and Cavalry consummated a trade many thought favored the Cavalry far more. Christchurch sent 28 y/o LF Brodie Bransington (.270/.315/.454, 91HR) to Canberra in exchange for 28 y/o MR Joe Lawson (3-11, 4 saves, 4.10 ERA, 4.37 FIP, 1.35 WHIP) and a starting prospect.

30 Sep: It might’ve taken until the last day of spring training to sort out, but sources said this trade between the Metros and Thunder had been in the works for well over a month. The Metros sent 29 y/o 2B Mario Martinez (.255/.317/.382, 90HR) and a prospect to the Central Coast in return for 29 y/o SP Sterling Caporn (48-44, 4.06 ERA, 4.02 FIP, 1.31 WHIP). The Metros were obviously gambling that Caporn would remain healthy. The Thunder were probably happy to get rid of his hefty contract.

Notable Injuries

7 Sep: The Fury lost new signing Brendon Baker to a strained biceps. He would miss 6 weeks.

21 Sep: Edward Bebbington would be sidelined for 6 weeks with recurring back spasms. The 24 y/o played at full intensity, but had yet to play a full season in the AUNZBL without injury.

23 Sep: Robin Pride would miss the first couple weeks of the Metros campaign with an oblique strain.

Other Notes

Dermott Ford and Axel Stennings hadn't picked up any contracts come Opening Day. Stennings, who only needed 3HR to reach 400 for his career, was particularly vocal during preseason and Spring Training. "Even if I spend most of the season with my hands under my bum on the bench, I want a chance."