Baseball Down Under - Reestablished 2016

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A Brief History

Baseball was brought to Australia in the 1850s and 1860s during the Victorian Gold Rush. In the early 1890s interstate games where played, mainly between Tasmania, New South Wales, and Victoria. In fact a championship was held in Hobart, Tasmania in 1910 which New South Wales came out on top of. In 1888 Al Spalding, owner of the Chicago White Sox, brought his own team of Americans down under to showcase the game. In 1897 a team of Australian baseball players toured the US and some went on to tour England. While national leagues started in the mid 30s, many did not take off and baseball failed to establish itself as a premier sport. Thus state leagues remained the focus.

The state focus of the leagues made travel easy, regional competition and rivalries grew as well. The Claxton Shield, the national competition, was started in 1934. Each state at the time sent a team to the host city to compete. Over time teams from Western Australia, Queensland, the Northern Territory, and even the Australian Capital Territory joined the competition.The last competition took place in 1988 as the Australian Baseball League was introduced. The Claxton Shield took place now as the final series of the competition, as the championship.

The first iteration of the Australian Baseball League ran from 1988 to 1998. With the league running out of money, licenses being purchased, sold, or relocated due to attendance and financial reasons, David Nilsson, a former Brewers player, purchased the league for $5 Million. David Nilsson created the International Baseball League of Australia. The IBLA consisted of state teams, to national teams from Taiwan, International All Stars to MLB All Stars. Finding little success it folded in 2002.Thus the state v state format of the Claxton Shield took place once again. This ran for 7 years from 2003 to 2010. Seeing the Australian National Team win Silver in the 2004 Olympics did signal to Baseball Australia that this was a sport the nation could be successful in and one they could invest in and see results. In turn, Little League springs up in 2007, and the Australian Baseball Federation - commonly referred to as Baseball Australia, begins to see whether than can create a League that goes beyond its current development of players.

Thus in 2010 the Australian Baseball Federation partners with Major League Baseball to form the Australian Baseball League. The ABL is partially owned by the MLB and partially owned by Baseball Australia. The Australian Baseball League started with 5 teams, state teams from Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney. Canberra was the last team added in a league that originally was rumored to have up to 10 entrants for its inaugural year.
The past five years have had future major league players come through during the Australian summer.

Below are the results form the past 5 years of competition.



And that brings us to the preparation for our current season.

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Ryan Carrick-Flowers

Ryan Carrick-Flowers will be the centerpiece of our story, at least for now. Flowers, 35, an American from the West Coast, has had a career focusing in Marketing, Finance, and Economics for numerous teams and the office of Major League Baseball. Recommended to the Australian Baseball Federation, this is Ryan's first executive position. Ryan with an MBA and MSA, will be leading the ABL in its goal to become a centerpiece of the game. Rob Manfred said of Flowers:

"Ryan will grow the game is Australia and Asia. He has to capability to create a behemoth in an superb growing market. He will make waves. He will do an excellent job. And if he struggles, he can always give me a call."

Flowers has set the following goals for before the 2016 season:

1. Restart Asia series
2. Increase schedule length
3. Allow limited amount of forgein players into the league
4. Protect and increase Australian player development
5. Secure sponsorship of teams and major league events

And the goals for the next four or so years:

1. Use Asia Series as a measuring stick - evaluate position in Asia
2. Increase player talent level
3. Grow the league to new markets
4. Secure team finances
5. Secure a national TV deal
6. Increase baseball participation in Australia

Ryan's list of accomplishments as the years progress will go below:

Accomplishments and Key Dates
April 2016 - Became commissioner and president of Australian Baseball League
May 2016 - Restarted Asia Series (*** -JAP, KBO -KOR, CPBL - TAI): later expansion to CBL (CHN)
Feb-July 2017 - Announces expansion plans to 8 teams, Licenses granted to Gold Coast and Wollongong.
July 2019 - Announces expansion plans to 10 teams, Licenses granted to Geelong and Newcastle.

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Hold for League History

ABL - Pre 2016


ABL - 2016 - Present


League Index

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Team Summaries
*Bold denotes Claxton Shield Appearance
Color denotes Claxon Shield Championship


Adelaide Bite
-Adelaide, South Australia
-Est. 2010
-Playoff Appearances: 2010, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
-Claxton Shield (1): 2016


Brisbane Bandits
-Brisbane, Queensland
-Est. 2010
-Playoff Appearances: 2015, 2016, 2019
-Claxton Shield (1): 2015


Canberra Cavarly
-Canberra, Australian Capital Territory
-Est. 2010
-Playoff Appearances: 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2018
-Claxton Shield (2): 2012, 2018
-Asia Series Champion (1): 2013

Fremantle Swans
-Fremantle, Western Australia
-Est. 2020
-Playoff Appearances:
-Claxotn Shield (0):


Geelong BayCats
-Geelong, Victoria
-Est. 2020 (expected)
-Playoff Appearances:
-Claxton Shield:



Gold Coast Blue Tongues
-Gold Coast, Queensland
-Est. 2018
-Playoff Appearances:
-Claxton Shield:


Melbourne Aces
-Melbourne Victoria
-Est. 2010
-Playoff Appearances: 2010, 2011, 2019
-Claxton Shield (1): 2019


Newcastle Eagles
-Newcaslte, New South Wales
-Est. 2020 (expected)
-Playoff Appearances:
-Claxton Shield


Perth Heat
-Perth, Western Australia
-Est. 2010
-Playoff Appearances: 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2018
-Claxton Shield (4): 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014

Port Adelaide Magpies
-Port Adelaide, South Australia
-Est. 2020
-Playoff Appearances:
-Claxton Shield:


Sydney Blue Sox
-Blacktown, New South Wales
-Est. 2010
-Playoff Appearances: 2010,2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017
-Claxton Shield (1): 2017


Wollongong Waratahs
-Wollongong, New South Wales
-Est. 2018
-Playoff Appearances
-Claxton Shield

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Hall of Fame

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Asia Series Results

-2016, Adelaide Bite defeated by Hanshin Tigers in First Round of Asia Series. Hanshin would go on to win four games to one over EDA Rhinos
-2017, Sydney Blue Sox defeated by Lamingo (CPBL) in the First Round of the Asia Series, Samsung Lions would go on to win 3 games to 2 voer Lamingo.
-2018 Canberra Calvary defeated by EDA (CPBL) in the First Round. EDA Rhinos would go onto win in four games of Hokkaido.
-2019 Melbourne Aces lost both games to the Chinatrust Brothers (CPBL) two games to none. Chinatrust would defeat Nexen (KBO) 4 games to one.

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holding

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League Rules Changed for 2016
April 15, 2016
-Canberra. The MLB and Baseball Australia have made the following updates on league rules. Led by Commish Flowers the ABL and the competition committee will be observing the following rules.

• A salary cap of 250,000
• A limit of 8 foreign players on the active roster
• Increasing schedule from 46 to 60 games

Flowers went onto to state that these rules have been passed to ensure league health. Flowers said that securing the financial security of the league is the priority and that with sponsorship and tv deals coming in the cap could even increase for the 2016 Campaign.

Flowers said that the deal a deal with Murdoch owned FOX and continuation of their own network ABLtv is in the works. According to sources within the ABL, Flowers is working to overhaul the sponsorship program and get big name sponsors to work with the league. Pundits speculate that favorable agreements now could lead companies like Virgin, Fosters, Delta, FOX, Coke, and many more to invest in the league.

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May 1st, 2016

Asia Series Rebooted

The logo of the 2013 Asian Series

Today we learned that the Australian Baseball League, [league redacted] League, Korean Baseball Organization, and the Chinese Professional Baseball League have agreed to a 10 year deal to renew the Asian Series. The series is to be scheduled in January or February. For the ABL is will be a postseason tournament, for the Japanese, Korean, and Taiwanese, it will serve as a tune up prior to their own spring training. The Asia series will feature the 2016 champion of each league. The last winners where Australia's own Canberra Calvary.

The format under this agreement will be a best of 5 followed by a best of 7. More details are expected to be released about host cities or seeding of teams. ABL Chief Ryan Flowers said that he is excited to see the ABL teams and how they stack up with the Asian leagues. The Asia Series could grow up to 8 teams according to contracts obtained by our own John Zimmer. Zimmer said there are contingencies for a European team, host teams, or re admittance of Chinese Baseball League.

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Draft Pool Announced

Today the Australian Baseball Federation announced the registrants for the 2016 ABL Draft. Here they are below split into batters and pitchers.

Position Players



The top position player is considered to be Marty Rafferty. Rafferty projects out as a first or third baseman with superstar (5 star) potential.

Another key position fielder is outfielder Stefan Anslow. Anslow, may not only be one of the best future players, but is also going to help his team from day one.

Pitchers





The top pitcher is 21 year old Brett Waddingham. Waddingham, a lefty is clearly the top pitcher and has 4.5 star potential.

[BigRed75]

Looking good so far. Hope my Swans can return to the league at some point. Sucks about the crash.

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2016 Australian Baseball League Draft Recap

1st Round
Adelaide Bite - Brett Waddingham P 21
Brisbane Bandits - Marty Rafferty IF 19
Canberra Calvalry - Stefan Anslow OF 21
Melbourne Aces - Barry Bacon IF 22
Perth Heat - Rhett Colenutt IF 18
Sydney Blue Sox - Jack Wynn OF 23

Analysis:

Brett Waddingham, a LHP, will slot in as the third pitcher for Adelaide. Behind veteran Tim Atherton, Waddingham will be quick to learn the role of an ABL SP. Waddingham throws a Fastball, Change-up and Curveball. A combination that should fair him well throughout his career. Slim chance he may move to the back of the bullpen during his career.


Marty Rafferty, a 1B/DH is a young young prospect. Rafferty, will learn under the tutaledge of former MLB Dave Nilsson and Star David Sutherland. Rafferty has huge power, hitting 11HRs in his last season. Rafferty is a pure hitter though, patient, will hit for average and draw walks. His defense, while still having room to improve, will be solid.


Stefan Anslow, OF, projects to hit at the top of Canberra's lineup. A great defender in left, we will see how he makes the transition to covering more ground in center. His bat has above average pop, above average power, and he has an above average eye to go along with average discipline. Future superstar?


Barry Bacon, a Middle IF, features a stellar glove, plus range, and a great arm. Primarily a contact hitter Bacon will be a mainstay for Melbourne. The 22 year old will start at shortstop from day 1 and should be given all the time he needs to grow.



Rhett Colenutt, a IF, will likely slot in at either 1B or 3B. He will not start the year in the lineup though. One of the youngest players in the draft at 18 years old and 156 days, he has a lot of growth. Rhett features a huge upside due to his athleticism. If he can get it all behind him he will be one of the best players in the league in his prime.


Jack Wynn, an OF, is an all star defensively. 80 defender at all three outfield spots. Wynn's bat however, has some catching up to do. His adjustment to ABL pitching will be difficult at times. Sydney can expect this 23 year old to make an impact from day one, but his long term viability will be determined on how much his bat can grow.

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Adelaide and Sydney are expected to dominate the league this year. While Perth has a 4 of the top 10 hitters, their pitching is practically non existent. Adelaide, led by Stefan Welch and Vince Black will make noise throughout the year.

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Australian Baseball League

Weekly Recap October 27 - October 29

Some highlights of the opening week performance was Perth's Justin Huber's against Sydney in the second game. He had 2HRs in the second game in Perth's 7-4 loss to Sydney. Sydney's acquisitions showed up big for them getting two HRs each from 3B Trent D'Antonio and CF Biddle, who they aquired days before from Adelaide. Their star prospect Jack Wynn went 5 for 14 to open up his career.

Adelaide took two great performances from Atherton and Williams in their first two games against Melbourne. Adelaide's pitching will be their strong point on the year. Adelaide also got a HR from MVP canidate Stefan Welch. Melbourne struggled as their middle infield combo of Brett Harman and Bacon combined for 2 hits on the series. A bright spot is Trent Oeltjen at the top of the lineup with a .273 average.

Lastly, Brisbane spoiled 3rd overall pick Stefan Anslow's home debuts as they held him 2 for 11 on the series. 2nd overall pick for Brisbane - Rafferty didn't fair much better going 3-11. We will continue to follow their careers closely and watch their development. Brisbane got a HR in their first game from David Sutherland.

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Australian Baseball League

Batting Leaders


Pitching Leaders


Rookie Batters



Helms Award - MVP Shortlist
- Justin Huber, 1B, Perth
- Stefan Welch, 3B, Adelaide
- Trent Oeltjen, LF, Melbourne
- Stefan Anslow, CF, Canberra
- Keiji Nakahara, RF, Sydney
- Jose Gil, C, Brisbane

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Preliminary Series

vs

Game 1 - Blacktown, New South Wales

In game one of the Preliminary Series Brisbane rolled out SP Tristan Crawford against Everett Teaford. Crawford gave up a run in the first, and continued for the 7 and two thirds in order to help his team take the lead. Teaford, Sydney, also pitched well as he went 6.2 but was removed after giving up 2 runs and surrendering the lead in the sixth.

Brisbane 2, Sydney 1


Game 2 - Blacktown, New South Wales

Game two ended up being the exact opposite of game one. Both offenses showed up for big innings and put the pressure on the opposing defenses. Brisbane scored 5 in the top of the second and never looked back though. Sydney would score a run in the bottom of the second, but Brisbane responded with a run in the top of the fifth. In the seventh, things really broke wild as Brisbane scored a run, but Sydney answered with three of their own to make it game. Brisbane tacked on an insurance run in the top of the 8th to make it 8-4 and take home a sweep. They will play Adelaide for the Claxton Shield.

Brisbane 8, Sydney 4

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Claxton Shield Championship Series

vs.

Preview
A series that is a rematch of the 2015 season. The 2015 edition was held in Brisbane, but this time the Bite get to play host to the bandits. The Bite are lead by two MVP canidates. 3B Stefan Welch and LF Rolexis Molina, as well as budding star 1B Gordon Moy, along with two solid pitchers in Tim Atherton and Matthew Williams. Moy was their 3rd round draft pick this year. Meanwhile the Bandits, look to repeat as champions. The Bandits are lead by 1B David Sutherland, C Jose Gil, and star shortstop Alan Schoenberger. Bandits pitching staff is anchored by James Albury.

Game 1 - Adelaide, South Australia

The game opened up with a few scoreless innings. Not a lot happening with the first two innings as Crawford (BRIS) and Atherton (ADEL) pitch well. In the top of the 3rd, 2nd round draft pick Logan Corless gets on with a single and Jose Gil takes Atherton deep on a two run shot. Brisbane's lead however would wain as Molina would hit a HR in the fourth to bring them within one and another run would score that inning. Tied up in the bottom of the fifth Adelaide would showcase its star power. Adelaide's Welch, Moy, and Brett Jackson would all his solo shot home runs as well as some good doubles baseball to move and score runners. Just an inning later Welch would add another to his total bringing the lead to 10 to 2. This game was dominated by Tim Atherton's spectacular performance as he struck out 8 in 8.1 and Adelaide's power prowess.

Game 2 - Adelaide, South Australia

Brisbane would once again open up the top of the third and grab the lead. This time Matt Nilsson, DH, would hit a 3 run 2 out double to clear the bases and grab a quick lead. Adelaide's answer would come in the fourth as they put a two spot on the board as Welch and Molina hit a pair of doubles. The top of the sixth would see a great day continue for Matt Nilsson, who already had a double in the third and a triple in the second, would hit a solo HR off Matt Williams. This increased the Bandits lead to 4-2. However, Adelaide would tie it up in the bottom half as Jackson and Molina both hit their second HRs of the series. But Jung-joo Park, a 32 year old RF from Korea, would not let Brisbane fall, hitting a solo shot Matt Williams. Williams would complete the seventh without further damage. With the lead gone Adelaide would fail to score in the seventh and Brisbane could not expand on the lead in the top of the 8th as prospect Brett Waddingham retired the side. Adelaide down 5-4 with 6 outs remaining began to show some emotion in the dugout. And boy did it work. Adelaide's own Stefan Welch came up to the plate with two runners on and delivered. Welch hit a deep deep deep fly ball that left the yard and sent a crushing blow to Brisbane. Brisbane down 7-5 in the top of the ninth was doing everything to get another game tomorrow. Logan Coreless hits a lead off double. Jose Gill struck out on a fastball from Vic Black (ADEL). Jung Joo Park hits a triple to score Coreless. 7-6. Then Mitch Nilsson steps in the box. on a 2-2 fastball Nilsson hit a 399ft HR to right taking the lead of the game and closer Matt Times retired the side in the bottom of the ninth to force game three.

Game 3 - Adelaide, South Australia

Game 3, the Grand Finale of the Claxton Shield and the 2016 Season. Brisbane, once again, would get off to a hot start scoring 2 in the top of the first. Brisbane, looking to get out to an early lead would score two more on the top third. For Adelaide fans, they could feel the tension snap at Norwood Oval. For the third straight year it looked like their team would lose the Claxton Shield. A solo shot by Rolexis Molina would tighten the scoreline to 4-1. However it was the fifth inning that made the Oval come alive. Adelaide would see the bases loaded with two out with Molina stepping to the plate again. Molina would work the count to 3-2 after falling behind 0-2. Molina, then hit a home run. A GRAND SLAM. A GRAAAAAAAAAAND SLAMMMMM. Molina pushed his team out in front 5-4. A GRAAAND SLAAAMMM. Adelaide would add another HR from RF Tom Brice in the seventh. Vic Black came in to close out the game and give Adelaide its first Claxton Shield title.

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Award Winners

Helms Award - MVP
Justin Huber - 1B - Perth

Perth's first baseman had a fantastic campaign.Huber had a .317 average, 65 hits, lead the league with 18 HRs, and scored 38. Huber beat out Rolexis Molina and David Sutherland.

Pitcher of the Year Award
Tim Atherton - SP - Adelaide

The right hander lead a fantastic Adelaide staff and helped them navigate the league throughout the year. Atherton finished with a 10-2 record in 15 starts. Through 108 IP he had 112Ks while limiting opposing batters to a .184 average and teams to a 2.42 era. Atherton narrowly beat out James Albury of Brisbane.

Reliever of the Year Award
Vic Black - CL - Adelaide

Black had a great year, helping the Bite win their first ABL title. Black had a 0.52 ERA, had 18 saves, 87Ks, and only one loss. Black was key in the playoffs in holding of Brisbane.

Rookie of the Year
Stefan Anslow - OF - Canberra

Anslow had a .242 average in 57 games, finishing with 54 hits, 9 home runs, 26 RBIs and 30 runs scored. Anslow finished the year with a 1.5 WAR.

Manager of the Year
Dave Anderson - Adelaide Bite
40-20; .667 PCT, -GB; .247 Avg, 3.21 ERA, 280 RS, 210RA

Glove Wizard Awards
P - Daniel Schmidt - Perth
C - Carlton Tanabe - Adelaide
1B - David Sutherland - Brisbane
2B - Blair Dawson - Sydney
3B - Stefan Welch - Adelaide
SS - Alan Schoenberger - Brisbane
LF - Trent Oeltjen - Melbourne
CF - Jack Wynn - Sydney
RF - Jacob Akhurst - Adelaide

Silver Stick Awards
C - Jose Yepaz - Melbourne
1B - Justin Huber - Perth
2B - Brad Harmon - Melbourne
3B - Ryan Stovall - Perth
SS - Zach Penprase - Canberra
LF - Trent Oeltjen - Melbourne
CF - Stefan Anslow - Canberra
RF - Joshua Roberts - Melbourne
DH - Keiji Nakahara - Sydney

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ABL to Add Two Licenses in 2018

Today ABL commisioner Ryan Carrick-Flowers announced his plan to expand the league by two teams in the 2018 season. Flowers did not give any details on when the bids selected would be announced.

Sources near the ABL believe that Baseball Australia and the MLB will be meeting with representatives from the Gold Coast, Newcastle, Wollongong, and the Sunshine Coast.

Bids are expected to be publicly campaigned much like Canberra did at the end of 2009 to secure the sixth license in the league.

[gregisawesome13]

Please let me know your thoughts on expansion. Remember that Ryan Carrick-Flowers goals are to create a new national media contract as well as create regional rivalries. Any thoughts or ideas would be appreciated.