NABL a History

[JayW UK]

2046 Off-Season

The 2046 offseason saw an unprecedented number of manager changes, thirteen of the NABL’s thirty teams were in the market for new skippers headlined by World Champions Philadelphia and WL champs Sanfrancisco. The first domino to fall was in San Diego where manager Tomas Mendez left his post after one season to take the vacant job in Sanfrancisco much to the disappointment of team owner Bill Brunstone, the Mariners moved swiftly to replace Mendez, naming former Chicago Pitching Coach Manuel Colon as manager for 2046. The first of the big names to find a new home was former Philly boss and current EL manager-of-the-year Jose Pacheco, who chose Austin over several other top opportunities, Pacheco’s replacement in the city of brotherly love was former New York manager Will Thompson. Three-time manager-of-the-year and former Houston and Sanfrancisco skipper Cipriano Gonzalez landed in Cleveland replacing the retiring Jose Diaz while New York named former Houston skipper Matt Tate as field manager for the upcoming season. Midwest division foes Oklahoma City and Denver both said goodbye to their managers, with Christian Eberlein (DEN) and Steffen Hurtado (OKC) leaving to pursue new challenges, Eberlein accepted the Dallas job while Hurtado interviewed for both Indianapolis and Los Angeles before choosing to replace Eberlein in Denver. Charlotte chose Portland Foresters manager Corey Jordan (who had just led the Foresters to the AAA championship) as the man to replace Judd Murray who left to take over in Houston. With the retirement of Allen Richardson in Los Angeles the Lynx found themselves looking for a new manager and with many of the top candidates already in new homes their options were dwindling fast, in a move that split opinion down the middle they named former Boston manager Leo MacGilchrist as Fullerton’s successor. Although MacGilchrist had been absolved of any blame in the Mendoza scandal the previous year, there were still plenty of fans who subscribed to the view of “where there’s smoke there must be fire”. Indianapolis found their new manager in former Austin skipper Ephriam Bonekamp while OKC enticed ex-Miami boss Andrew Simpson back into management after he had spent a year out of the game and in the commentary booth.
Free agency was no less hectic with the biggest contract handed out by Los Angeles for Miami pitcher Jonathan Furze (6-year $115M), fellow Pacific division rivals Sanfrancisco were also in the market for pitching, signing veteran hurler Cristobal Chapa to a two-year $37M deal to replace pitcher George Buchanan who left town for Phoenix and a 3-year $50M contract. Phoenix also landed former Denver pitcher Bartolo Garcia on a five-year $80M deal but did lose former ace Nick Ford, who became the latest in a long line of star pitchers to sign with St. Louis, joining the Reds for $48M over three years. St. Louis then added veteran RF Glenn McGhee, who turned his excellent 2045 season with Cleveland, into a four-year $70M pact after the Corsairs baulked at offering him a multi-year deal. Fellow Central division foes Indianapolis were also busy, adding pitcher Steve Gream (2-yr, $37.5M) from Charlotte and 3B Xavier Cisneros (3-yr, $56M) from OKC, while Chicago picked up catcher Santiago Melendarez from Tampa Bay on a four-year deal after the Hurricanes decided against meeting his contract demands. Tampa Bay chose instead to spend their meagre cash reserves pursuing former Chicago 2B Chad Hammond, eventually landing the two-time batting champion on a four-year $71M deal. Another high-priced veteran to be cut loose by Tampa Bay was former Outstanding Hitter award winner Joe Scott who eventually found a new home in Baltimore, signing a four-year deal at $16.5M annually to be the Bulls new leftfielder, Baltimore also landed a pair of wily veterans in 37-year-old 1B Rick Flynn (2yr $30M) and 38-year-old relief pitcher Steve Berg (2yr $10M), whilst the last deal of substance to be announced before attention turned to the draft was New York’s signing of star 2B Pancho Sousa to a two-year $38M deal.
The top of the 2046 draft class was seen as a relatively weak group when compared to some of the more recent classes, never-the-less there was still talent to be found, all of the top prospects were from College ball, headlined by pitchers Martin Montgomery (Arizona), Matthew Monson (Miami) and Radcliffe McCauley (St. Boneventure) along with outfielders Dave Jackson (Seton Hall) and Raul Enciarte (Colorado State). Top of the tree when it came to High School talent were power pitcher Andy Kuhn and all-American LF Manuel Punyed.
Washington, owners of the first overall selection for the third year running, chose Colorado State CF Raul Enciarte as their pick, Los Angles took high upside pitcher Matthew Monson second before Houston claimed Arizona pitcher Martin Montgomery with the third pick. Charlotte took St. Boneventure pitcher Radcliffe McCauley fourth, despite McCauley indicating his desire to return to school, Oklahoma City tabbed Seton Hall’s slugging centerfielder Dave Jackson fifth before Atlanta made Andy Kuhn the first High-School prospect taken in the draft. The top High-School position player LF Manuel Punyed, had to wait until the 17th pick to be drafted where Minneapolis ended his fall.
With spring training in the books BNN released their annual predictions, and as expected Philadelphia were hotly tipped to repeat as Atlantic division champions with New York expected to push for the Wildcard spot, the only unknown in that prediction was the fact that both clubs had new managers at the helm. In the Central things were expected to be tighter with Indianapolis predicted to come under pressure from both St. Louis and Cleveland but ultimately the Racers were favoured to claim their fourth straight division crown. In the Southeast the Florida teams (MIA and TB) were once again expected to be head and shoulders ahead of their rivals with opinions split as to which of the two would go on to win the division.
In the Midwest Division Omaha looked likely to continue their streak of division crowns but were expected to come under increasing pressure from both Denver and Minneapolis, the Southwest division was less clear with Phoenix and their re-made pitching rotation given the edge over Las Vegas and an Austin squad that appeared to have got their act together (based on the addition of manager Jose Pacheco and their phenomenal 20-4 Spring Training performance). In the Pacific, Sanfrancisco were poised to once again rule the roost, with LA with their new manager Leo MacGilchrist and relevant again Seattle expected to be front runners in the WL Wildcard race.

[JayW UK]

Interlude – Hall of Fame class of ‘46

On draft weekend the Hall of Fame opened its doors to its newest inductees, 2B Jack Underwood who along with pitchers Holden Willis and Greg Gray became members 12,13 and 14. Underwood who fell to the seventh round in the 2017 draft due to injury concerns proved his doubters wrong, playing twenty-two years in the NABL, appearing for six teams and retired as one of only four players to have appeared in more than 2500 games. Holden Willis was the unanimous #1 pick in 2023, making his big-league debut the following season Willis lived up to the hype. A two-time World Series winner and twice pitcher of the year he played the entirety of his seventeen-year career with Las Vegas and retired as the holder of all the Gamblers major pitching records. Greg Gray was drafted by Detroit as a two-way player in the fifth round of the 2022 draft but converted to pitching full time and soon became one of the most dominant closers in NABL history, during his seventeen years at the top Gray collected over 500 saves, appeared in eleven All-Star games and was an integral part of two Championship teams (Detroit in 2028 and Indianapolis in 2037).

Jack Underwood
College – New Orleans College
Drafted - 2017 - 7th Round – 178th Overall by Kansas City Tornadoes
Current Team – None (Retired)
Previous Teams – KC (2020-2028), WAS (2029-2034), DEN (2035-2037), BOS (2038-2039), NY (2040), BAL (2041)

Career Stats
Regular Season
G - 2855 AB - 9742 RS - 1446 H - 2829 2B - 478 3B - 35 HR - 395 RBI - 1519 BB - 1141 K - 522 SB - 90 CS - 63 AVG - .290 OBP – .367 SLG – .468 OPS – .835 OPS+ 135 WAR – 45.6
Post Season
G - 53 AB - 168 RS - 22 H - 43 2B - 10 3B - 0 HR - 8 RBI - 22 BB - 31 K - 12 SB - 0 CS - 1 AVG - .256 OBP – .377 SLG – .458 OPS – .836 OPS+ 134

Career Achievements
8x All-Star
World Series Winner (2039)


Holden “High Roller” Willis
College – Texas A&M
Drafted - 2023 – 1st Round – 1st Overall by Las Vegas Gamblers
Current Team – None (Retired)
Previous Teams – LV (2024-2040)

Career Stats
Regular Season
G - 441 GS - 417 W/L – 201-96 SV – 2 ERA – 2.72 IP – 2660.1 BB - 474 K - 2558 WHIP – 1.04 ERA+ 151 WAR – 90.9
Post Season
G - 26 GS - 26 W/L – 8-5 SV - 0 ERA – 3.39 IP – 164.2 BB - 32 K - 154 WHIP – 1.20 ERA + 148

Career Achievements
Outstanding Pitcher Award x2 (2029, 2030)
9x All-Star
World Series Winner x2 (2026, 2038)


Greg Gray
College – Virginia
Drafted - 2022 – 5th Round – 62nd Overall by Detroit Giants
Current Team – None (Retired)
Previous Teams – DET (2023-2034), SF (2034-2035), IND (2036-2037), CHA (2038-2039)

Career Stats
Regular Season
G – 1191 GS - 0 W/L – 88-79 SV – 519 ERA – 2.60 IP – 1236.0 BB - 388 K - 1166 WHIP – 1.18 ERA+ 164 WAR – 24.2
Post Season
G - 34 GS - 0 W/L – 1-2 SV - 14 ERA – 3.71 IP – 34.0 BB - 10 K - 27 WHIP – 1.24 ERA+ 229

Career Achievements
11x All-Star
World Series Winner x2 (2028, 2037)

[JayW UK]

2046 Regular Season

Eastern League Review

Philadelphia’s three year run as Atlantic division champions came to an end with New York being the team to unseat them, with C Roberto Saldana (.272, 37 HR, 109 RBI) leading the way, offense was the Senators calling card as the #3 ranked unit carried the team to 90-wins and their first division title since 2022. After two tumultuous years Boston returned to relevance, winning 84-games and finishing as runners-up to New York despite several key injuries during the campaign, while defending champions Philadelphia slumped to a disappointing 80-82 record despite the best efforts of RF Julian Morin (.289, 27 HR, 112 RBI) and pitcher Orlando Fernandez (14-6, 2.66 ERA). Even another strong season from 3B Justin Shelby (.302, 26 HR, 109 RBI) couldn’t prevent Baltimore from suffering a hangover after losing the postseason play-in game at the hands of New York the previous year, as the Bulls fell to just 71-wins, bringing up the rear for the seventh season in a row were Washington who imploded yet again to finish with a dismal 59-103 record.
In the Central division there was a new team at the top St. Louis (91-71), the Reds were forced to lean heavily on the league’s best pitching staff led by veterans Les Scott (17-7, 3.06 ERA) and Brett Knight (15-7, 2.58 ERA) as their offense was below average for most of the season but they came through when it mattered most as St. Louis ended Indianapolis’ three-year run as champs. A last day defeat at the hands of Chicago consigned Cleveland (88-74) to a sudden death play-in game with a Detroit team who finished the season on a tear, winning their final seven games. Chicago (82-80) struggled offensively, due to injuries and disappointing play from several of their established stars with C Santiago Melendarez (.328, 30 HR, 85 RBI) being the lone exception. Bringing up the rear were Indianapolis whose overworked pitching staff couldn’t carry a stagnating offense as the Racers slumped to a disappointing 81-81 record and their first visit to the division basement since 2026.
With one of the top offenses in the east led by the dynamic duo of 1B Pete Daniels (.296, 35 HR, 95 RBI) and 2B Luis Garza (.275, 33 HR, 106 RBI) along with a solid pitching staff headed by Bob Kenney (17-6, 3.09), Charlotte found themselves back on top of the Southeast division for the first time in almost a decade finishing the season with an 88-74 record. Atlanta continued their rise under manager Juan Santos, finishing second with an 85-77 record (including a franchise record fourteen straight wins in July) while Tampa Bay fell back to an underwhelming 81-81 finish despite strong campaigns from 1B Jorge Otero (.276, 36 HR, 115 RBI) and pitcher Todd Morgan (17-7, 3.67 ERA), the Hurricanes Achilles heel throughout the season was their penchant for untimely mistakes (their 116 errors and 13 walk-off losses both led the majors) and a pitching staff that struggled to keep the ball in the park (196 Home runs allowed). New Orleans despite owning the EL’s #2 ranked pitching staff, flattered to deceive finishing tied with Tampa Bay on 81-wins while Terry Nelson’s second season in Miami fell a long way short of the highs of his first, as the Everglades were bitten by the injury bug and slumped to an 80-82 record.

The EL play-in game saw Cleveland, who were still reeling from their heart-breaking final day loss at the hands of Chicago, face off against Detroit winners of seven straight games. Detroit made it 8-in-a-row with homeruns from SS Michael Boucher and CF Tom Perkins proving the difference in a hard fought 3-1 victory.

2046 Final Standings

Atlantic Division
New York 90-72 *
Boston 84-78
Philadelphia 80-82
Baltimore 71-91
Washington 59-103

Central Division
St. Louis 91-71 *
Detroit 88-74 * (+)
Cleveland 88-74 (+)
Chicago 82-80
Indianapolis 81-81

Southeast Division
Charlotte 88-74 *
Atlanta 85-77
Tampa Bay 81-81
New Orleans 81-81
Miami 80-82

Detroit defeats Cleveland to claim EL Wildcard

[JayW UK]

2046 Regular Season

Western League Review

The new man in charge of Denver Steffen Hurtado couldn’t have hoped for more from his new charges as the Wildcats returned to the summit of the Midwest division, finishing with a 95-67 record their best for twenty-two years. Everything clicked for them, from their C Tom Walsh (.277, 33HR) inspired offense to their pitching staff powered by Matt Damone (18-7, 3.39 ERA) and veteran lockdown closer Pablo Hernandez (3-4, 2.32 ERA, 46 Saves). Minneapolis (89-73) with the WL’s #2 offense spearheaded by 2B Hector Torres (.290, 29 HR, 108 RBI) and 22-year-old LF Cisco Villegas (.274, 18 HR, 78 RBI), ran the Wildcats close but a wobble in early September cost them a chance at the division crown. Kansas City, owners of the lowest payroll in the NABL (at just $76M) showed some signs of life, finishing the season two games under .500 at 80-82 leading to the dismissal of manager Tucker Brown at the conclusion of the campaign, Brown’s six year run in KC had resulted in a dismal 428-544 record. Despite owning the best starting rotation in the WL, led by Russell Harris (22-8, 3.16 ERA) and Jacobie Harksdale (17-12, 2.37 ERA), Omaha slumped from their customary position atop the division to fourth, finishing their disappointing campaign with just 78-wins (their lowest total for a decade). At the foot of the standings were OKC who endured a dismal campaign as injuries decimated their roster (their top 3 starting pitchers all ended the season on the DL with long term injuries), the Outlaws finished with a franchise worst 54-108 record, not the start that manager Andrew Simpson had hoped for.
The battle Southwest division proved to be a tight one, in a year in which no team seemed to want to claim the crown, Las Vegas emerged as division champions, finishing the campaign with an 81-81 record becoming the first western league team to claim a division title without a winning record. Even with manager-of-the-year and World Series winner Jose Pacheco at the helm and strong campaigns from LF Clarence Davis (.311, 33 HR, 91 RBI) and RF Freddie Sherman (.288, 29 HR, 80 RBI), Austin failed to take advantage of the relative weakness of their division foes as they ended the season just one game back from LV with an 80-82 record, agonisingly close to their first division crown in 22-years. Houston (79-83) were another team who didn’t take advantage of their opponents weakness finishing a further game back and wasting a career year from LF Gannon Pope (.281, 40 HR, 105 RBI). Phoenix were the biggest disappointment, dropping from the top of the standings to fourth and finishing with a 74-88 record whilst Dallas (68-94) continued their run of mediocrity, making it now eleven consecutive losing seasons.
Sanfrancisco (99-63) continued their dominance over the rest of the Pacific division, riding the WL’s #3 offense paced by RF Francisco Perez (.360, 27 HR, 100 RBI) and 3B Michael Langley (.318, 27 HR, 114 RBI) and the best pitching staff in the majors featuring Sean O’Lannigan (19-8, 3.00 ERA) and a resurgent David Elder (16-6, 3.23 ERA), the Gold romped to their sixth consecutive division crown. LA’s new manager Leo MacGilchrist had a positive effect on his new charges leading them to an 89-73 record and a play-in game with Minneapolis in his first season in charge. The Lynx featured an explosive offense, hitting 213 homeruns (the most in the majors) with C Al Wilson (.279, 55 HR, 102 RBI) leading the way and 1B Juan Rosa (28 HR), RF Stu Leach (27 HR), LF Manuel Velasquez (22 HR) and 2B Norberto Perez (22 HR) all chipping in, whilst their pitching staff (#3 in the WL) quietly went about their business. Seattle (80-82) were almost unstoppable on offense (#1 in the west) with a pair of 24-year-old up-and-coming stars C Felix Beltran (.289, 42 HR, 133 RBI) and CF Wes O’Neill (.281, 33 HR, 102 RBI) the catalysts, their problem was pitching (#15 in the WL) with only Francis Harvey (12-11, 4.04 ERA) and William Thomas (12-11, 4.64 ERA) proving to be remotely reliable. San Jose (79-83) continued to tread water while San Diego continued their slide, dipping to a 76-86 record, both teams possessed some good young building blocks, P Steve Beaubien (8-8, 1.58 ERA, 42 saves in 75 games) for SJ and 2B Norris Lindsey (27 HR, 85 RBI) and RF Jonah Covington (22 HR) for San Diego.

The WL play-in game proved to be an entertaining one as Minneapolis edged past Los Angeles with LF Liam Ayliffe drilling a go-ahead eighth inning 2-run homerun to lift the Bears to a 9-7 victory and deliver playoff baseball to Minneapolis for the first time in twelve years.

2046 Final Standings

Midwest Division
Denver 95-67 *
Minneapolis 89-73 * (+)
Kansas City 80-82
Omaha 78-84
Oklahoma City 54-108

Southwest Division
Las Vegas 81-81 *
Austin 80-82
Houston 79-83
Phoenix 74-88
Dallas 68-94

Pacific Division
Sanfrancisco 99-63 *
Los Angeles 89-73 (+)
Seattle 80-82
San Jose 79-83
San Diego 76-86

Minneapolis defeat Los Angeles to claim WL Wildcard.

[JayW UK]

2046 Season Notes

Pre-Season – Washington’s scattergun approach to roster building came into sharp focus once again, six months after giving up star catching prospect Dennis McComish to get 3B Jose Aguilar the Generals moved on from the 26-year-old. Sending Aguilar to Minneapolis for a package of five prospects (SS Felix Manuel and four pitchers Darnell Jefferson (BNN #25), Salvador Calderon, Alejandro Flores and Rodrigo Pagan)
April 2nd – St. Louis ace Les Scott was unhittable in the Reds opening day victory over San Jose, he struck out fourteen Spartans and by end of the day had taken his career strikeout total to 3006.
April 12th – after an awful start to his campaign (0-2, 9.82 ERA and six homeruns surrendered in two starts) Oklahoma City relegated four-time pitcher-of-the-year Rafer MacNeil to bullpen duty ending his run of 486 consecutive starts.
April 24th – Baltimore closer Steve Berg collected the 400th save of his career in the Bulls 8-7 victory over Washington.
April 26th – Las Vegas CF John Smyth suffered a fractured knee in a freak collision with teammate Willard Reeves during the Gamblers loss at the hands of Dallas.
April 29th – Carl Crawford could not be blamed for Sanfrancisco’s extra-inning loss to Minneapolis, the outfielder collected six hits on the day including a pair of doubles and a Grand-Slam.
May 7th – Miami LF Francisco Valencia suffered an Abdominal strain sending him to the DL for six weeks.
May 20th – Houston RF Gustavo Reyes collected two hits against New Orleans in a losing effort, taking his career total to 2000.
May 21st – Philadelphia 2B Jose Villalobos scored the only run of the game (the 1000th of his career) as Philly overcame a stubborn Cleveland team 1-0.
May 29th – Los Angeles catcher Al Wilson blasted a trio of solo homeruns in a losing effort against Tampa Bay.
May 18th – Baltimore off-season acquisition LF Joe Scott suffered a torn PCL ruling him out for upto nine months.
June 13th – star catcher Felix Beltran lifted Seattle to victory belting three homeruns and driving in five of the Pioneers eight runs in their 8-6 win over Los Angeles.
June 14th – although his performance was less than stellar on the day (5.2 IP, 8H, 5R, 4BB, 3K) Shane Olson still collected the 200th win of his career, as his teammates exploded for five homeruns in Tampa Bay’s 14-6 victory over Kansas City.
June 15th – Boston traded back-up 1B Bartolo Dieguez to Phoenix for 3B Paul Myers and pitching prospect Scott Crowley. The decision to trade Dieguez left Boston painfully thin at first base and was openly questioned by some fans.
June 16th – Indianapolis sent LF Allen Hood to Kansas City for 36-year-old journeyman reliever Cristobal Galindo and 20-year-old RF prospect Jason Daniels (BNN #28).
June 18th – Boston’s star 1B Domingo Vargas suffered a broken kneecap ending his season just days after the club had traded away the only viable back-up on the roster.
June 22nd – San Diego LF Alex Broberg had a game to remember against Cleveland, his two hits on the day were both Grand-Slams and helped the Mariners outscore the Corsairs 12-10.
June 27th – Minneapolis pitcher Mark Madison’s season came to an end when he was placed on the DL with Bone chips in his throwing elbow.
June 28th – Minneapolis caught another bad break when pitcher Alec Greco was placed on the 60-Day DL with Radial Nerve Compression likely ending his 2046 campaign.
June 29th – OKC starter John Gates suffered a torn UCL ruling him out for the next 12 months.
June 30th – Indianapolis pitcher Steve Gream hurled eight shutout innings and struck out eleven (including the 3000th of his career) as Indianapolis cruised to victory over division rivals Chicago.
July 3rd – Omaha pitcher Russell Harris picked up his tenth win of the season and helped his own cause by blasting a Grand-Slam, as the Braves rolled over Austin 8-2.
July 7th – after proving he still had something left in his tank, OKC pitcher Rafer MacNeil (4-2, 1.98 ERA in 28 relief appearances since his move to the bullpen) was packaged along with pitching prospect Luis Gonzalez (BNN #46) and sent to Baltimore for 37-year-old slugging 1B Rick Flynn. The move was seen as an obvious cost cutting exercise for Baltimore as although MacNeil was owed nearly $11M for the remainder of the season, this was the last year of his deal whereas Rick Flynn still had another year at almost $15M left on his contract.
July 8th – New York slugger Jerry Wright drove in the 1000th RBI of his career as the Senators fell to Charlotte 6-3.
July 12th – Baltimore entered the trade market again, this time offloading their other veteran off-season signing Steve Berg. To find a taker for Berg and his contract the Bulls were forced to part ways with newly acquired pitching prospect Luis Gonzalez. The pair were packaged to New Orleans for 2B Vincent Maribel, thus creating some financial flexibility for Baltimore to take another run at Free Agency for 2047.
July 13th – OKC pitcher Jess McGregor became the second Outlaw starter to be lost for the season when he suffered a torn rotator cuff in a loss against Houston.
July 20th – New Orleans pitcher Carlos Rodriguez hurled a 92-pitch NO-HITTER against Detroit, he was denied a perfect game by a pair of costly errors.
July 21st – Sanfrancisco’s veteran pitcher Cristobal Chapa became the first pitcher in NABL history to reach 4000 career strikeouts with an 11K performance in the Gold's 5-3 victory over local rivals San Jose.
July 27th – Tampa Bay SS Guy Gilmore helped the Hurricanes to victory over in-state rivals Miami, clubbing three homeruns and collecting 5-RBI’s.
July 28th – with their season already over OKC pulled the trigger on a blockbuster trade, sending LF Rob Penney to Charlotte for 1B Jeffrey Porter, 2B Brant Perrott, LF Leon Hernandez and pitcher Joe Decker.
August 10th – Oklahoma City’s already weakened rotation took yet another hit in their lost season as Todd Dunn suffered a partially torn UCL ruling him out for up to a year.
August 12th – LF Alberto Aguilera collected three hits in three at bats, all of them solo homeruns helping San Diego to see off Seattle 5-3.
September 4th – San Jose 1B Troy White hit three homeruns (all solo shots) as the Spartans cruised past OKC 13-3.
September 6th – Sanfrancisco 2B Tom Carter collected the 2000th hit of his career and scored four times as the Gold disposed of Seattle 8-3.
September 7th – Sanfrancisco LF Juan Rodriguez lifted the Gold to a 5-3 victory over Seattle hitting a seventh inning Grand-Slam.
September 8th – Miami’s playoff drive suffered a blow as the Everglades lost LF Francisco Valencia and his power bat for the rest of the season, whilst in Sanfrancisco, the Pioneers fell victim to a Juan Rodriguez Grand-Slam for the second day in a row, slipping to a 6-4 defeat.
September 9th – Austin star RF Freddie Sherman suffered a torn ACL ending his season.
September 14th – Denver SS Hector Soto picked up career hit number 2000 in the Wildcats disappointing loss at the hands of Oklahoma City.
September 15th – Minneapolis RF Cisco Villegas suffered a strained hamstring ruling him out for up to five weeks.
September 16th – St. Louis catcher Demtri Lott played an integral role in the Reds 8-7 victory over division rivals Chicago, going 4-for-4 at the plate and blasting three homeruns whilst driving in five runs.
September 17th – Detroit 3B Marimo Acosta pulled up lame in the Giants victory over Cleveland, the following day the full extent of his injury became known and he was placed on the DL list with a torn hamstring.
September 18th – OKC 1B Rick Flynn drilled his 400th career homerun in yet another losing effort as the Wildcats fell to defeat number 100 on the season.
September 21st – Charlotte star 3B Pete Daniels suffered a fractured hand when he was hit by a wayward Todd Morgan pitch in Charlotte’s 6-4 defeat at the hands of Tampa Bay.
September 22nd – Charlotte LF Rob Penney singlehandedly carried the Express to victory over Tampa Bay, he collected four hits in six at-bats (including a pair of doubles and a homerun) and drove in NINE of Charlotte’s 10 runs.
September 24th – another career milestone for OKC 1B Rick Flynn (hit number 2000) and yet another defeat for the Wildcats (#104)
September 28th – St. Louis RF Glenn McGhee suffered a fractured rib making a diving catch, ruling the veteran outfielder out of the playoffs.
September 30th – despite a frustrating injury plagued campaign, Chicago 3B Joseph Floores drilled a Walk-Off 2-run homerun (only his second homer of the season) to lift the Zephyrs to a 7-5 victory over Cleveland, denying the Corsairs a playoff place and instead condemning them to a play-in game with the suddenly hot Detroit Giants (winners of seven straight games).

[JayW UK]

2046 Playoffs

Divisional Round

The 2046 playoffs saw only two teams return from the previous season, New York in the east and defending champions Sanfrancisco in the west. The Senators drew Detroit in the first postseason meeting between the two teams while Charlotte would take on St. Louis in a re-match of the 2037 divisional series. Over in the west, defending western league champions Sanfrancisco were matched with a Minneapolis team making just their second playoff appearance in the last 28 years whilst Denver would play Las Vegas for the fourth time in their history were still searching for that maiden series victory.

Charlotte (back in the playoffs after a nine-year absence) travelled to #1 seed St. Louis looking for a repeat their 2037 divisional series triumph. Game one did not go to plan for the Express, as a five-run outburst in the third inning sparked by P Les Scott’s RBI-Double and capped by a CF Cullen Wilhelm homerun, saw the hometown Reds build an early 5-0 lead on their way to a comfortable 6-2 series opening win. Game two saw big performances from LF Rob Penney (3-4, HR, 4-RBI) and RF Martin Myers (3-3, HR, 2-RBI) for Charlotte and C Dmitri Lott (2-4, HR, 4-RBI) for the hosts, as the two teams combined for 17-runs in a shootout with the Express holding on to slip past St. Louis 9-8. With the series tied at one and the next two games in South Carolina, Charlotte now had the edge and their cause was aided further by the news that St. Louis star catcher Dmitri Lott would miss game three after being taken ill. The third instalment of the series was dominated by two pitching performances, one good and one not so good, veteran Brett Knight (STL) struggled surrendering five runs in just four innings of work before being relieved, while Charlotte’s man on the mound Cameron Schwenke, hurled seven strong innings striking out 9 whilst allowing only a single run, as Charlotte edged ahead in the series. St. Louis catcher Dmitri Lott announced his return with a 2-RBI Double to give the Reds an early lead in game four, but that was as good as it got for St. Louis, as Charlotte fought back eventually going ahead on 2B Luis Garza’s eighth inning homerun before Raul Romero closed the book on St. Louis’ season with a 1-2-3 ninth, sending the Reds home to lick their wounds and Charlotte onwards to the EL Pennant series.

The second EL division series saw Atlantic Division champions New York take on wildcard entry Detroit in the first ever playoff meeting between the two teams. The series was a strength-on-strength matchup featuring New York’s strong offense (#3 in the east) versus Detroit’s third ranked pitching staff with most people favouring the hometown New York Senators to take the series, but with Detroit coming in as the hottest team in baseball (on the back of an eight-game winning streak) the underdog Giants could not be written off. Game one belonged to the pitchers, both starters Nate Maddox (DET) and Julio Mejia (NY) pitched well but New York edged ahead in the sixth when C Roberto Saldana drilled a 2-out 2-RBI double. Detroit halved the deficit in the seventh before SS Gustavo Vera restored New York’s two-run advantage one inning later and although Detroit plated another run in the ninth, New York closer Jesus Tobias held his nerve to give the Senators the series lead. With both starters, David Salas (NY) and Jorge Maes (DET) on song, New York scoring late to take the lead and Jesus Tobias denying Detroit in the ninth, game two followed a similar pattern to the series opener as New York edge past Detroit 2-1 to take a commanding series lead. Both offenses finally came alive in game three, entering the sixth inning the teams had matched the output of runs from the opening two games combined, with New York leading 5-3 things were certainly looking bleak for Detroit, RF Spencer Horn chose the perfect moment to collect his first hit of the series, blasting a wayward Rueben Rodrigo pitch into the seats for a game tying two-run homer to send the game into extra innings. Neither team could muster any further scoring until the 13th inning when Spencer Horn went deep again (his second hit of the series) for a walk-off homerun sending the home fans wild and keeping the Giants playoff hopes alive. Those hopes were extinguished the following night, as despite RF Spencer Horn driving in two more runs for the Giants, New York pummelled Detroit starter Nate Maddox to the tune of seven runs in just 3.2 innings and went on to wrap up the series with a commanding 9-2 victory.

In the west, Denver welcomed Las Vegas to the mile-high city looking to claim their first ever playoff series win over the Gamblers. The Wildcats who featured both strong pitching (WL #2) and offense (WL #4) were seen by many as the favourites over a Gamblers team who also featured solid pitching but were held back by an offense that only scored 3.8 runs per game (only four teams scored less, Dallas, San Diego, OKC and Washington). Game one was a classic pitching duel between Matt Damone (DEN) and Jose Vazquez (LV), solo homeruns from C Tom Walsh and SS Trey Richardson proved just enough for Denver as the Wildcats squeezed past Las Vegas 2-0 to open the series. The following night was more of the same as neither team could muster much offense against strong pitching performances from Juan Martinez (DEN) and Lee Hollis (LV), Denver eventually broke through in the sixth via a 2B Hector Soto solo homerun. The Wildcats added a second run when RF Raul Cruz scored on a wild pitch in the seventh but failed to trouble the scorers any further, Las Vegas halved the deficit in the eighth when 3B Don Robertson drilled an RBI-Double and then put two men aboard in the ninth against Denver closer Pablo Hernandez, however they were left empty-handed as both LF Vaughan Snyder and 1B Gerald Ross struck out to end the rally and allow Denver to escape game two with another narrow victory. Las Vegas opened game three with a bang plating two runs in the first, however Denver starter Cam Gibson settled down from then on and despite allowing multiple baserunners in the third, fourth and fifth inning Gibson kept the Gamblers from adding to the score. LV starter Uwe Hale, who had been in cruise control, ran into trouble in the sixth allowing a pair of walks before surrendering a monster 3-run blast to LF Bill Lee which turned the game on its head and put Denver on top. With the game drifting towards its conclusion Las Vegas made one last push to save their season, rocking Wildcats closer Pablo Hernandez and putting two men aboard but just as in game two, Hernandez had the last laugh, striking out 3B Don Robertson and enticing 2B Eddie Brown to pop out to 1B Kanzaburo Shimizu to end the game. With the victory, Denver finally got the monkey off their back by defeating Las Vegas in the postseason and were now off to their first WL Pennant series since 2024.

The second WLDS saw two-time defending WL champs Sanfrancisco take on wildcard team Minneapolis, both teams could put runs on the board almost at will while Sanfrancisco could also call on the western league’s top pitching staff giving the Gold a significant edge in the series. Surprisingly neither team could find any offense early in game one as starters Bryan Marburg (SF) and Patrick Casey (MIN) were dealing zeros, Sanfrancisco RF Francisco Perez finally got the breakthrough, drilling a 2-run homer in the fifth but Minneapolis answered two innings later to tie proceedings and end Marburg’s night. Sanfrancisco’s bullpen coughed up an RBI-double to Minneapolis RF Javier Ortiz but the Bears own bullpen surrendered the lead immediately, giving up homeruns to LF Adrian Ramirez and RF Francisco Perez (his second of the night) as Sanfrancisco turned a 3-2 deficit into a 6-3 lead heading into the ninth. Despite Sanfrancisco closer Chris Miller struggling, Minneapolis couldn’t force home any runs as the Gold held on for a 6-3 win. Game two saw more strong pitching early, this time from David Elder (SF) and Greg Younger (MIN), before Sanfrancisco took advantage of some underwhelming relief pitching to roll to a 9-4 victory and take a 2-0 series lead. In front of a partisan crowd enjoying their first home playoff game in more than a decade, Minneapolis took it to Sanfrancisco in game three, behind an excellent pitching performance from Aaron Johnston (8.0 IP, 5H, 0R, 7K), a pair of solo bombs from 1B Dan Wood and a 3-run blast from RF Ramiro Perez, Minneapolis cruised to a 5-0 victory. Game four did not start well for Minneapolis, falling behind to a CF Maximo Macias 2-RBI single in the first and losing starting pitcher Patrick Casey to injury in the second, but far from giving in to adversity the Bears rolled their sleeves up and fought back. RF Ramiro Perez got them on the board in the fourth with a solo homer before a series of singles plated the tying run one inning later. Sanfrancisco ace Bryan Marburg was kept in the game one inning too long as with his pitch count rising his control began to fade leading to him issuing a pair of costly walks ahead of surrendering a bases clearing double to 1B Dan Wood to gift the lead to Minneapolis. The Bears scored twice more against a suddenly vulnerable Sanfrancisco bullpen as they waltzed to victory tying the series and in doing so wrestled the momentum away from the Gold ahead of a winner-takes-all game five back in northern California. Two nights later in Sanfrancisco the series was decided in conclusive fashion, the hometown Gold started on the front foot determined to wrestle the initiative away from Minneapolis after back-to-back defeats. Visiting starter Greg Younger was victimised early and was chased him from the game in the second inning with the score already 7-0, the Bears bullpen fared little better as Minneapolis were forced to use every available arm (including calling on SS Bob Fieldson for the ninth inning) just to get through the game. 1B Jesus Diaz (3-5, 2x 2B, RBI, 4R), 3B Michael Langley 3-5, RBI, 4R) and CF Maximo Macias (4-4, 3B, HR, 3-RBI, 4R) all had big days for Sanfrancisco as the Gold blew away Minneapolis 18-2 to wrap up the series in style.

[JayW UK]

2046 Playoffs

Championship Round

The EL Pennant series between New York and Charlotte was the first ever postseason meeting between the two and with both clubs boasting high scoring offenses and middling pitching, an exciting series was anticipated. Charlotte named ace Bob Kenney as game one starter while New York countered with Julio Mejia on just three days rest, it was the hometown Senators who got on the scoreboard first courtesy of 1B Jerry Wright’s third inning homerun but the lead didn’t last, first Express LF Dave Langley hit a sacrifice fly in the fifth to tie the game before 2B Luis Garza drove in a pair one inning later to put Charlotte ahead 3-1. New York mounted a late rally which ultimately fell short when Charlotte closer Raul Romero worked around a pair of ninth inning hits to secure the game one victory. Combining for just nine hits, the two teams found the going tough once again in game two, New York starter David Salas surrendered just three hits, but one of them was a two-run homerun to C John Richmond and that proved to be enough for Charlotte to take the game, as Cameron Schwenke and Raul Romero combined to blank the Senators but the win came at a cost as LF Rob Penney left the game with an ankle injury ruling him out for the remainder of the series and possibly beyond. New York once again found themselves struggling in game three as Charlotte built an early three-run lead, the Senators finally ended their fifteen-inning scoreless streak when 22-year-old CF Hunter Jones drilled a 2-RBI homerun in the sixth to cut the lead to one and although they got men into scoring position in both the seventh and eighth inning they failed to bring any of them home. Charlotte added an insurance run in the eighth before Raul Romero once again held the Senators at bay to put the Express into a commanding 3-0 series lead. Game four saw both offenses finally get going, New York 3B Tom Gardner putting the Senators ahead with a 2-RBI single in the third before Charlotte answered with a pair of runs of their own in the fourth. The Express pushed ahead in the sixth when C Russ McAllister drew a bases loaded walk but next man up 3B Chris Harris ended the frame when he hit into an inning ending double-play. Charlotte turned to Raul Romero to close out the game but with two out 38-year-old 2B Pancho Sousa flipped an RBI-single into left-field tying the score and sending the game to extra innings. New York broke the deadlock in the top of the fourteenth when 3B Tom Gardner slapped an RBI-double (his fifth hit of the day) to give the Senators the lead. Charlotte worked over New York reliever Jerry Rich loading the bases against him before 1B Blake Hanson ended the game, and the series with a monster Grand-Slam, sending the hometown fans into a frenzy and Charlotte onto the World Series for the second time in their history.

In the west, defending WL champions Sanfrancisco (aiming to reach their third consecutive World Series) took on Denver in their first postseason meeting since 2017 (when SF triumphed on their way to a World Series title), both possessed strong offenses and shutdown pitching and with the teams so evenly matched, home advantage would be key and that gave Sanfrancisco the slight edge (SF had lost only 6 games at home all season, compared to 10 for Denver). Sanfrancisco named veteran Cristobal Chapa as their game one starter whilst Denver countered with Matt Damone, who had been so good against Las Vegas in his last outing. Damone continued where he left off against LV, hurling seven shutout innings as Denver built a 4-0 lead, Sanfrancisco mounted a comeback attempt against the Wildcats bullpen but a CF Alberto Rosado homerun in the top of the ninth gave Denver some breathing space and closer Pablo Hernandez shut the door to preserve the win. Game two saw Sanfrancisco turn to ace Bryan Marburg while Juan Martinez took the mound for the visitors and with Marburg in control for much of the night it was the Gold’s turn to build a lead. With 3B Michael Langley (3-4, 4-RBI) leading the way SF built a comfortable 7-1 lead but a late rally from Denver cut the lead to two before Chris Miller finally escaped the ninth inning with the save, tying the series at one game each. With the series finely poised, proceedings moved to Denver and just as in game two Michael Langley (3-3, 2B, 4-RBI) was the driving force for Sanfrancisco as the Gold held the hometown Wildcats at arms-length on their way to an impressive game three victory. Denver evened the series the following night, with Antonio Correa getting the better of Sanfrancisco starter Sean O’Lannigan in a hard-fought Wildcats victory. Easily the best game of the series occurred in game five, with Denver naming game one star Matt Damone as starter Sanfrancisco skipped Cristobal Chapa’s turn in the rotation to bring back ace Bryan Marburg on short rest. In a pitching duel of the highest caliber it was Denver who looked to have the game sewn up, entering the ninth with a 3-1 lead closer Pablo Hernandez took the mound, but in an uncharacteristically sloppy outing he proceeded to gift Sanfrancisco the lead on LF Adrian Ramirez’s 2-out 3-RBI homerun. With the home fans stunned it was Gold closer Chris Miller’s turn to blow the save when Denver 3B Jotaro Shimizu smashed a homerun to tie the game and bring the crowd back to life. With Denver unable to force another run home the game entered extra innings where pitching once again took control with neither team getting a man on base until the top of the thirteenth when Sanfrancisco SS Tom Carter slapped a two-out double down the left-field line. Denver pitcher Jackson Wells appeared to have escaped the inning when he enticed 2B Oliver Leal to hit a weak roller to third baseman Jotaro Shimizu but Shimizu was slow to react and his throw pulled 1B Solomon Slaughter off the bag leaving Leal safe at first and extending the inning long enough for CF Maximo Macias to drill an RBI-Single over the head of 2B Hector Soto to give Sanfrancisco the lead. With most of their bullpen emptied SF manager Tomas Mendez turned to veteran starter Cristobal Chapa to close out the game, Chapa delivered in style taking just eleven pitches to retire the side and leave Sanfrancisco one win away from their third straight World Series appearance. Two nights later a packed Bayside Ballpark witnessed Sanfrancisco get the job done, riding a complete game from David Elder (9.0 IP, 6H, 2R, 2BB, 8K) and homeruns from C Kent Blanton and LF Juan Rodriguez Sanfrancisco clinched the series with a routine 7-2 victory.

[JayW UK]

2046 Playoffs

World Series

On the eve of the World Series Charlotte received some unwanted injury news, both star 3B Pete Daniels and veteran LF Rob Penney had failed in their bids to be fit for the upcoming series, denying the Express the services of two of their most influential players. To a man Charlotte stepped up the challenge in game one, going toe-to-toe with Sanfrancisco before triumphing on PH Marc Stephens RBI-single in the 11th inning, shortstop Edgardo Perez was particularly impressive for the Express, collecting three hits (a pair of doubles and a triple) drawing a walk and scoring every time he reached base. After dropping the series opener, Sanfrancisco were in no mood to make in two in a row, with ace Bryan Marburg locked in and homeruns from LF Adrian Ramirez and C Kent Blanton, Sanfrancisco evened the series with a 5-3 victory. Both teams got strong performances from their starters in game three, (Bob Kenney for Charlotte and David Elder for SF) but Charlotte found the Sanfrancisco bullpen much more to their liking roughing up both Richard Sanders and Alex Stevens on their way to re-taking the series lead with a comfortable 6-2 win. A tie-breaking eighth inning 2-run homer from 1B Blake Hanson gave Charlotte a 5-3 win over the Gold in game four, the veteran first baseman’s opposite field blast capped a three-hit night and put Charlotte firmly in the series driving seat. With the Gold’s season on the line manager Tomas Mendez put the ball in the hands of 40-year-old veteran pitcher Cristobal Chapa for game five. Rolling back the years, Chapa (appearing in his fifth World Series) kept Charlotte’s bats quiet through seven scoreless frames while RF Francisco Perez (2-4, HR, 2-RBI) and 1B Jesus Diaz (3-3, 2-RBI) provided the offensive ammunition as Sanfrancisco took the game 4-1 and ensured the series would return to the west coast. Entering the eighth inning of game six leading 5-1, Charlotte appeared poised to wrap up the series and claim their second World Championship, up until that point Sanfrancisco’s only meaningful contribution had been a second inning solo homerun from LF Juan Rodriguez and with their season on life support they badly needed a spark. A lead-off double from RF Francisco Perez was just what the doctor ordered and set the stage for a seven-run eruption that stunned the Express and carried Sanfrancisco to a dramatic 8-5 victory setting up a winner-takes-all game seven. On the mound for the decider were game three starters, Bob Kenney (CHA) and David Elder (SF), both men started well dealing zeros for the first four frames, Kenney opened the fifth with back -to-back walks before surrendering a three-run blast to 3B Michael Langley putting the Gold on top 3-0. Charlotte cut the lead to a single run on 2B Luis Garza’s 2-RBI single in the eighth but Sanfrancisco 3B Tom Carter pushed the lead back up to two putting the Gold on the verge of overturning a 3-1 deficit and winning the series. Charlotte opened the ninth with lead-off man RF Larry Hubbard drawing a walk, but SF closer Chris Miller then picked-off Hubbard at first before expertly holding the Express at bay to deliver Sanfrancisco a 4-2 victory and with it their third World Championship.

2046 Playoff Recap

Divisional Series
EL: Charlotte 3-1 St. Louis, New York 3-1 Detroit
WL: Denver 3-0 Las Vegas, Sanfrancisco 3-2 Minneapolis
Championship Series
EL: Charlotte 4-0 New York
WL: Sanfrancisco 4-2 Denver
World Series
Sanfrancisco 4-3 Charlotte

[JayW UK]

2046 League Leaders and Season Awards

EL Batting
Hits
242 Rusty McCormick (TB)
206 Pancho Sousa (NY)
201 Desmond Starks (PHI)
Batting Avg
.364 Rusty McCormick (TB)
.336 Pablo Munoz (BOS)
.331 Pancho Sousa (NY)
Homeruns
37 Roberto Saldana (NY)
36 Jorge Otero (TB)
35 Pete Daniels (CHA)
RBI
115 Jorge Otero (TB)
112 Julian Morin (PHI)
109 Roberto Saldana (NY)
Stolen Bases
54 Rusty McCormick (TB)
40 Tate Brodie (BOS)
31 John Bonner (ATL)

EL Pitching
Wins
19 Steve Meyna (MIA)
17 Dillon Furr (ATL)
17 Bob Kenney (CHA)
ERA
2.04 Mark Chandler (NO)
2.58 Brett Knight (STL)
2.66 Orlando Fernandez (PHI)
Strikeouts
298 Les Scott (STL)
245 Carlos Flores (CHI)
224 Randall Valentine (CHA)
Saves
47 Billy Ray Sanders (TB)
42 Lance Harris (IND)
40 Jesus Tobias (NY)

WL Batting
Hits
239 Francisco Perez (SF)
221 Cesar Sanchez (SEA)
195 Michael Langley (SF)
Batting Avg
.360 Francisco Perez (SF)
.333 Cesar Sanchez (SEA)
.322 Gustavo Reyes (HOU)
Homeruns
55 Al Wilson (LA)
42 Felix Beltran (SEA)
40 Gannon Pope (HOU)
RBI
133 Felix Beltran (SEA)
114 Michael Langley (SF)
108 Hector Torres (MIN)
Stolen Bases
39 Ellington McNamee (KC)
39 Ryan Nattingly (SJ)
37 Cesar Sanchez (SEA)

WL Pitching
Wins
22 Russell Harris (OMH)
19 Sean O’Lannigan (SF)
18 Matt Damone (DEN)
ERA
2.37 Jacobie Harksdale (OMH)
2.72 Joe Taylor (LA)
2.96 Bryan Marburg (SF)
Strikeouts
249 Francisco Sierra (SD)
234 Lee Hollis (LV)
211 Cristobal Chapa (SF)
Saves
46 Pablo Hernandez (DEN)
46 Sergio Rodriguez (HOU)
42 Steve Beaubien (SJ)

Season Awards

Batting Champion – Tampa Bay 3B Rusty McCormick (.364) followed up his Rookie-of-the-year campaign by claiming the EL batting crown while Sanfrancisco RF Francisco Perez (.360) claimed his third batting title in the west.
Homerun Champion – New York catcher Roberto Saldana (37 HR) narrowly held off Tampa Bay 1B Jorge Otero (36) and Charlotte 3B Pete Daniels (35) to win the EL award. In the west Los Angeles C Al Wilson clubbed 55 homers to win the WL award, his nearest rival, Seattle C Felix Beltran finished with 42.
Outstanding Hitter – Charlotte 3B Pete Daniels (.296, 35 HR, 95 RBI) won the EL award just edging New York catcher Roberto Saldana (.272, 37 HR, 109 RBI) in the voting. In the west there were several outstanding candidates for the award but in the end Sanfrancisco RF Francisco Perez (.360, 27 HR, 100 RBI) just edged Seattle catcher Felix Beltran (.289, 42 HR, 133 RBI) to win his second career Outstanding Hitter award.
Outstanding Pitcher – St. Louis ace Les Scott (.17-7, 3.06 ERA, 298K) finished ahead of Miami’s Steve Meyna (19-7, 2.67 ERA) in the Eastern League voting to collect his third Outstanding Pitcher award. Omaha’s Russell Harris (22-8, 3.16 ERA) was named the WL pitcher of the year edging out Denver’s Matt Damone (18-7, 3.39 ERA) and Sanfrancisco’s Sean O’Lannigan (19-8, 3.00 ERA).
Rookie of the Year – Boston’s 22-year-old SS Tate Brodie (.300, 12 HR, 73 RBI) won the EL award in a landslide while the Western League’s award was much less clear cut with Houston’s Mike Hess (.284, 7HR, 52 RBI) eventually being named the winner.
Manager of the Year – The EL award went to Charlotte manager Corey Jordan who proved he belonged at the NABL level by leading the Express to the World Series one year removed from leading Portland Foresters to the AAA Championship. In the west Sanfrancisco skipper Tomas Mendez collected the award for leading the Gold to the World Championship in just his first year in charge.
Glove Wizards EL – P -Nate Maddox (DET) C – Demitri Lott (STL) 1B –Ricardo Cardenas (CLE) 2B – Salvador Ramos (CHI) 3B – Justin Shelby (BAL) SS – Ruben Arroyo (WAS) LF –John Bonner (ATL) CF – Tom Perkins (DET) RF – Spencer Horn (DET)
Glove Wizards WL – P – George Buchanan (PHO) C – Jorge Garcia (SJ) 1B – Gerald Ross (LV) 2B – Jackie Young (AUS) 3B – Javier Garcia (LA) SS – Hector Soto (DEN) LF – Juan Marin (SEA) CF – Ryan Nattingly (SJ) RF – Freddie Sherman (AUS)