NABL a History

[JayW UK]

2023 Off-Season

On December 2nd the entire NABL community was in mourning after waking to the news that Oklahoma City manager Martin Martinez along with chief scout Todd Sylar and top international prospects Hector Rodriguez and Alberto Molin had been killed in a plane crash while travelling back from Mexico. Team owner Jim Scottsdale promoted Martinez’s good friend and bench coach Eddie Arnold to be the new team manager, the former Seattle manager vowed to continue the work that Martinez and Sylar had started and set to work identifying possible player acquisitions to realise that vision. Meanwhile Tampa Bay caused a stir when they successfully lured Corsairs Manager Paul Ladd away from Cleveland, paying a hefty sum in compensation. Cleveland GM Miguel Megallas used that compensation to pay Denver for the services of their manager, bringing Tom Heitman on board. Denver, caught out by this turn of events, settled on an in-house replacement, promoting bench coach Yoshizaku Tanaka to be their new skipper, making him the first Japanese manager in NABL history.
In January Oklahoma City announced post tax profits of $48M from the 2022 season which Scottsdale said would be made available to sign new players as he “wanted to build a championship team with which to honour Martinez and Syler”. Armed with this money OKC attacked free agency luring former Boston catcher Jack Epps with a 3 year $64M contract and also successfully courting two-time Outstanding Hitter Kevin Jones, signing him to a 3 year $57.6M deal. Washington 1B Carlos Vazquez opted out of the final year of his contract to join the revolution in OKC, signing on the dotted line for $53M over 3 years. Paul Ladd’s first free agent signing in Tampa Bay was Marshall Ayersome, the former Austin lead-off man signed a 4-year deal worth $80M, the Hurricanes then successfully pursued two-time World Series winner and former LA pitcher Luis Manuel Quinones, signing him to a three year $55M deal. One player leaving the sunshine state was former pitcher of the year Carlos Correa who chose to leave Miami for Minneapolis, no longer seen as a top of the rotation starter the Bears planned on moving him to the bullpen to be their new closer an experiment Miami had tried with mixed results. Another top eastern league pitcher moving out west was Boston’s Ed Hudson who joined Houston on a 2-year deal worth $46M, Hudson joined Marc Birstall to form one of the most fearsome top-of-the-rotation duos in the Western league. Los Angeles moved to fill the hole in their rotation after the loss of Quinones, by signing former Dallas ace Jose Marino to a team friendly one year deal they also strengthened their bullpen with the signing of Min-Jae Choi from New York. Choi would take over the closer role allowing the club to move Dave Wyatt back to his preferred setup role. Washington added to their outfield by signing often injured Andrew Parker to a 1 year $5M deal. The addition of Parker opened the door for Washington to trade away one of their high-priced veteran players, RF Tony Diaz was the one to go, landing in Cleveland in exchange for prospects LF Jose Berrera and SP Manuel Santana. Another trade that moved the needle was Philadelphia giving New Orleans a sack load of prospects including pitchers Jose Gonzales, Cole Coombes and Gabriel Alvarez while also surrendering their top 3B prospect Carlos Ramos in a deal to get star closer Edgar Arrojo whose impressive resume included 345 saves with an ERA of 1.83 over 601 games.
The 2023 draft was headlined by Texas A&M pitcher Holden Willis, the big lefty possessed a strong arm and also impressive control, walking only 7 batters in his final year at College. Clemson pitcher Ziggy Velasco was every bit the player Willis was but had also declared for the NFL draft and it was expected that if he was taken high, he would forego baseball for a career in football, with that in mind most teams had taken him off their draft boards. The top college position players in the draft were both outfielders, Alejandro Canseco from Missouri and Florida State’s Nick Richardson, neither of whom were game changers, while the best high school player was pitcher Ken Kramer a hard throwing right hander.
When draft night arrived, Las Vegas didn’t think twice and took Holden Willis first overall, Dallas went for Florida State outfielder Nick Richardson second while Austin took a chance by drafting young pitcher Ken Kramer third. Kansas City chose outfielder Alejandro Canseco fourth while in a somewhat puzzling move Detroit made Ziggy Velasco the fifth pick. Detroit’s decision to draft Velasco was particularly strange considering the team had been burned in the 2020 draft by Brandon Davis when he chose to pursue a career in football over baseball. Philadelphia made outfielder Craig McKillop the first high school position player drafted when they took him 10th overall.
Heading into the season the biggest questions in the Eastern league were about two new managers and how their respective teams would fare. In Cleveland Tom Heitman was charged with restoring the Corsairs to relevance after a poor season while in Tampa Bay all eyes were on Paul Ladd, especially after the free agents that had been brought in. Over in the west Los Angeles were gunning for a third championship and after losing pitcher Luis Manuel Quinones to free agency they went out and added a top starter in Jose Marino and significantly strengthened their bullpen by picking up Min-Jae Choi making the Lynx the bookies favourite to win the World Series. Other burning questions in the west were how would the loss of manager Tom Heitman to Cleveland effect the Denver Wildcats, and how would the Oklahoma City Outlaws perform after the tragic loss of skipper Martin Martinez and the subsequent spending spree.

[JayW UK]

2023 Regular Season

Eastern League Review

In the Atlantic division, Philadelphia (88-74) led by the top pitching staff in the east made a return to the playoffs for the first time in 6 years, taking the title by 3 games from a New York team (85-77) who slumped badly in the second half of the season and finished 17 games below their 2022 record. Washington (75-87) despite having the second highest payroll in the east behind Tampa Bay, were held back by their offense and suffered through an inconsistent season, eventually finishing 15 games off their 2022 pace, while Boston brought up the rear with a dismal 70-win season, their third last place finish in four seasons.
In the Central, the division race went down to the wire, going into the last week three teams were within two games of the lead. Chicago slumped to a 2-4 finish including being swept by Cleveland to finish third with an 89-73 record. The Corsairs sweep of Chicago meant they finished one game ahead at 90-72 while Indianapolis (90-72) dropped their final game to finish in a tie with Cleveland and set up a one game playoff to decide the division. Cleveland overcame Eric Parker (17-8, 2.23 ERA) and the Racers 4-2 to win the division and send the Racers to the playoffs as the wild card team. Detroit continued their downward spiral sliding to an abysmal 57-105 record.
The Southeast division belonged to Atlanta (97-65) who climbed back to the top to claim the title after a two-year absence, New Orleans (86-76) who boasted one of the top pitching staffs in the east and offensice sparkplug Jorge Sanchez (.322, 40 HR, 115 RBI + 31 SB) were their nearest challengers. Tampa Bay (84-78) who’s powerful Juan Santos (.289, 41 HR, 107 RBI) led offense (204 HR) once again carried the team, never-the-less finished third, whilst Miami slumped to a franchise worst 61-101 record despite another strong season from 1B Brian Watson (268, 33 HR, 114 RBI).

Final Standings

Atlantic Division
Philadelphia 88-74*
New York 85-77
Washington 75-87
Boston 70-92

Central Division
Cleveland 91-72* +
Indianapolis 90-73* +
Chicago 89-73
Detroit 57-105

Southeast Division
Atlanta 97-65*
New Orleans 86-76
Tampa Bay 84-78
Miami 61-101

Play-In Game
+ Cleveland defeats Indianapolis to claim Central Division title, Indianapolis qualifies for the playoffs as Wildcard team.

[JayW UK]

2023 Regular Season

Western League Review

In the Midwest division Denver under the stewardship of the NABL’s first Japanese manager Yoshizaku Tanaka, surprised everyone (except maybe themselves) riding the western league’s second-best pitching and the Jamie Boden (.322, 39 HR, 117 RBI) led offense, to the clubs second division title while winning 102 games along the way. Oklahoma City improved from their 2022 showing by winning 97 games to finish second and qualify for the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season. Minneapolis (86-76) slipped to third in the division while Kansas City finished in the basement for the second year in a row with an 82-80 record. It was the fourth time in NABL history that all the teams in a single division had finished with winning records, all four times it had been the Midwest division (2015, 2017, 2020 and 2023).
After the midseason trade for Dixon Bodean (.385, 45 HR, 138 RBI), Houston pulled away from the pack to take the Southwest division crown with a 91-71 record, the signing of Bodean helped propel their offense to another level (in 89 games with Houston he batted .399 while hitting 29 HR with 98 RBI’s). Dallas led by 3B Rizalino Nolasco (.303, 34 HR, 100 RBI) and pitcher Earl Stone (18-8, 2.52 ERA) were the best of the rest finishing 75-87 their best record since winning the division in 2019, Las Vegas (71-91) held back by their starting pitching finished third. Phoenix slipped to a disappointing 66-win season whilst Austin slumped to the clubs worst ever record, finishing the season 57-105.
In the Pacific division, with Gabriel Mendez (.282, 36 HR, 113 RBI) leading a banged-up offense, Los Angeles (102-60) leaned heavily on their pitching staff led by Jimmy Chien (18-9, 2.97 ERA), Raul Vazquez (16-8, 2.58 ERA) and Max Castle (16-10, 2.97 ERA) to cruise to their sixth straight division crown and fourth consecutive 100-win season while drawing over 4 Million fans to their games. Despite ace pitcher Pedro Escobar’s heroics (19-7, 2.52 ERA), San Diego (83-79) could only finish a distant second, their fourth straight runners-up slot, Sanfranscisco finished the season with a .500 record while San Jose, despite boasting a top five pitching staff finished 79-83. Bringing up the rear, yet again, was Seattle (62-100) dropping 100 games for the second time in three years.

Final Standings

Midwest Division
Denver 102-60*
Oklahoma City 97-65*
Minneapolis 86-76
Kansas City 82-80

Southwest Division
Houston 91-71*
Dallas 75-87
Las Vegas 71-91
Phoenix 66-96
Austin 57-105

Pacific Division
Los Angeles 102-60*
San Diego 83-79
Sanfrancisco 81-81
San Jose 79-83
Seattle 62-100

[JayW UK]

2023 Season Notes

Yet another spring training injury for Andrew Parker, this time a knee sprain, disrupted his preparations for the upcoming season, the injury would force him to the DL for the first couple of weeks of action. San Jose received some disappointing injury news of their own, when it was announced that starting 1B Miguel Roman had suffered a significant knee injury, ruling the twenty-five-year-old out for the entire season.
April 6th - Chicago SS Kevin Nelson hit for the CYCLE, going 4-for-5 driving in 5 runs while helping the Zephyrs tame Detroit 8-2.
April 8th – OKC 1B Carlos Vazquez, off to a slow start with his new team, suffered a side strain in batting practice ruling him out for the next two weeks.
April 9th - Tampa Bay’s top offseason acquisition, pitcher Manuel Luis Quinones was injured in only his second start for his new club, the injury was diagnosed a few days later as a torn elbow flexor tendon and would shelve him for 8 months, denting the Hurricanes playoff hopes.
April 11th – Indianapolis CF Rob Hodges collected five hits including four doubles in the Racers extra inning victory over Tampa Bay.
April 13th - San Diego ace Pedro Escobar became only the third player to toss a PERFECT GAME joining Thomas Zimmerman and Dave Cahill in the exclusive club.
April 14th - LA’s pitching rotation took a major hit when off-season pickup Jose Marino went down with an elbow ligament injury that kept him out until September.
April 20th - in a game against Austin, LA’s Junior Hernandez drew five walks, joining Marshall Ayersome and Kevin Jones as only the third player to accomplish the feat.
April 28th - the Ziggy Velasco pick got even worse for Detroit when he was picked at the top of NFL draft and promptly chose to play football instead of baseball, meaning the Giants had wasted two top five draft picks in four years.
April 29th - the 2023 draft class took another hit when Kansas City’s first round pick, outfielder Alejandro Canseco suffered a devastating knee injury forcing him to retire, ending his career before it had even begun.
May 4th - Washington’s Alphonso Vargas collected his 300th save against Cleveland, it was third time lucky for Vargas as he had blown his previous two attempts to reach the milestone.
May 9th - Tampa Bay star Juan Santos became the second player to reach 1000 RBI joining his great rival Gabriel Mendez.
May 15th – OKC 1B Carlos Vazquez suffered an oblique strain, sending him to the DL for the next seven weeks. The injury came at a most inopportune time for Vazquez as he was just beginning to find his feet in Oklahoma City.
June 12th - Denver’s Anthony Barrett set the NABL single game strikeout record with 16, the Minneapolis batters had no answer to Barrett’s dominance only coming to life once he left the game having thrown 115 pitches through seven innings. Denver held on to win 5-4 after the bullpen almost blew the game.
June 14th - in a blockbuster deal that sent shockwaves through the NABL, Kansas City dealt two-time outstanding hitter Dixon Bodean to Houston for five prospects, 3B Michael Byrd, CF Alan Lutolz, LF Jorge Chavez, SP Angel Sanchez and the main prize, top 20 prospect SS Anibal Portillo. The deal was a sign that Houston was all-in for winning the World Series in 2023 as Bodean was due to be a free agent after the season, and unless the Stars could persuade him to sign an extension, he would be a costly six-month rental.
July 15th - Washington traded another high-priced veteran, sending LF Steve Burgess to New York for rising star 1B Jason Wilson.
July 17th - Austin 2B Ronald McKinney slammed three homeruns going 5-for-7 and collecting 5 RBI’s helping his Kings overcome San Jose 9-6.
July 19th – New York pulled off another trade with a division rival, this time sending CF Stu Joyce along with 2B prospect Javier Ortiz to Boston for SP David Gonzalez
July 23rd - in a somewhat strange trade, Kansas City sent newly acquired SS Anibal Portillo, the centrepiece of the Dixon Bodean deal, and 3B Ralph Covenay to Sanfrancisco for veteran LF Brady Avery.
August 1st - San Jose and San Diego played out the longest game in NABL history, in a game that lasted 19 innings and five hours and four minutes, San Jose finally won 4-3 on a walk-off homer by Spike Williamson.
August 5th - Sanfrancisco LF Paul Bailey became the second player on the season to hit for the CYCLE when he accomplished the feat against Dallas.
August 8th - three days later Las Vegas 1B Santiago Ybarra became the third player to hit for the CYCLE during the season, going 4-for-5 with 5-RBI’s in a 7-4 victory over Sanfrancisco.
August 9th – Washington’s thirty-seven-year-old pitcher Zander Pace (11-7, 2.08 ERA) suffered a torn labrum ending his season early.
August 18th - Denver ace Anthony Barrett became the first player to reach 2500 strikeouts, the same day Atlanta’s Vince Little collected his 2000th strikeout.
August 20th - Houston backup 1B Dave Martin slugged 3 homeruns collecting 4-RBI’s in a 7-5 defeat against Sanfrancisco.
September 8th - with his Generals team disappointingly off the pace in the Atlantic division race, Washington manager Keith Bennett was fired. Cris Estrada was appointed interim manager until the end of the season (Washington went 11-8 under his stewardship strengthening his case to be offered the job permanently)
September 15th - Houston slugging RF Angel Valdez launched 3 homeruns including a Grand Slam, helping the Stars see off Austin 11-6.
September 21st - Las Vegas rookie pitcher Will Spencer struck out 15 opponents but still took the loss in a 2-1 defeat to Seattle.

[JayW UK]

2023 Playoffs

In the eastern league divisional round, Atlanta and Indianapolis renewed their playoff rivalry meeting for the first time since their epic 2019 Championship series. Atlanta took game one riding a complete game gem from ace Vince Little, game 2 was a different story, starter Jason McCullough struggled throughout serving up two homeruns to SS Tim Calhoun and taking the loss in a messy 9-2 defeat to even the series. Back in Indianapolis for game 3 and the Flames pitching once again imploded this time the culprit was Larry De Meza who gave up 8 runs through a sloppy six innings handing the initiative to Indianapolis in the series. Atlanta stayed alive by taking game four 4-1 setting up a deciding game five back in Atlanta. Vince Little was once again on the mound for the Flames and pitched another superb game, shutting the Racers out to give Atlanta the series win.
Cleveland and Philadelphia met in the playoffs for the first time since 2014, this time Cleveland didn’t allow Philadelphia to gain any traction sweeping them out of the postseason three games to nil, jumping all over the Philadelphia pitchers to the tune of 11 home runs, four of them hit by Richie Rambeaux.
In the west LA took on Oklahoma City, the first two games went to the hometown LA Lynx, who comfortably beat OKC, hardly breaking into a sweat. Game three was different, on an emotional night in Oklahoma City the home team came to play. Michael Fleming, Kevin Jones and Alan Ladd provided the offensive spark in a 9-4 win. Normal service was resumed the following evening as LA, behind a strong start from Jimmy Chien and homeruns from 1B Gabriel Mendez and LF Gary Ferguson, led from start to finish to take the series 3-1.
The second WL divisional series saw a loaded Denver Wildcats team face off against Houston the hottest team in the NABL, winners of 11 straight entering the playoffs. The Stars duly ran the streak to twelve taking game one in Denver riding homeruns by 1B Joey Buhler and 3B Jose Montoya to a 6-2 victory. The Wildcats offense answered in kind the following night hitting three long balls of their own on the way to a 7-3 win. Game three back in Houston was a pitcher’s duel between Houston’s 38-year-old veteran Ed Hudson and Juan Garza of the Wildcats, both starters pitching into the eighth inning before Houston’s big trade acquisition Dixon Bodean stroked a clean double to centre scoring both SS Ken King and 2B Felix Martinez, Rick Lynch pitched a clean ninth to preserve the win and give Houston a 2-1 series lead. Denver, facing elimination dug deep the following night, starter Ron Henderson pitched superbly keeping Houston off the scoreboard for seven innings allowing rising star Jamie boden to take the game away from the Stars with two huge homeruns, the Wildcats ran out 5-2 winners and sent the series to a deciding game five back in Colorado. Denver gave the start to Anthony Barrett whilst Houston countered with their own ace Marc Birstall, and no-one was to be disappointed. In another pitcher’s duel it was little used Denver 3B Van Hanna who came up with a huge hit in the seventh inning, plating LF Jarrod Cross for the only run of the game sending the Wildcats to a pennant series date with LA.

The eastern league Pennant series saw Atlanta take on Cleveland, the two teams had met in the 2019 playoffs with the heavily favoured Flames being upstaged by the underdog Corsairs. Games 1 and 2 in Atlanta went the way of the hometown Flames, Cleveland struggled to get their offense going being held to just 8 hits and 2 runs in the two games combined. Game three back in Cleveland was different with Atlanta starter Robinson Castro struggling for control walking six batters and giving up six hits through just five innings. The Corsairs led 5-1 when Castro left the game and their hitters didn’t stop there racking up another eight hits including homeruns for Clarence Davis and Chandler Harrington eventually running out 11-1 winners. Game 4 didn’t go so well for Cleveland as Atlanta ace Vince Little was back on the mound and he held the Corsairs to just five hits on the way to a 4-1 complete game victory, the following night it was Cleveland’s turn to get a quality game from their starter Claudio Gonzalez, the 25-year-old proved almost unhittable, as the Flames batters could only must three hits in a 3-0 Cleveland win. Back in Atlanta, Larry De Meza drew the start for the Flames and once again struggled, lasting only four innings and digging his team a hole they couldn’t get out of, Cleveland won convincingly to set up a winner takes all game seven. The deciding game started explosively for both teams as neither starter, Jason McCullough for the Flames and Keith Robison for Cleveland had much control and dished up four home runs between them. With the game tied at 5 after six innings and both starters back in the dugout it was down to the bullpens to win. It took until the eighth inning for breakthrough, and it was courtesy of Atlanta 2B Chris Britt who took a Roberto Castro fastball deep to give the Flames a 6-5 lead. Closer Brandon Bissett pitched a clean ninth to take Atlanta to their third World Series.
The Western League Pennant series saw two-time defending champions LA face off against Denver, this was the third playoff meeting between the two teams with honours even. Game one in LA went to plan for the home side who took the game 6-2, although worryingly they lost starter Tomas Freitas to a shoulder injury. Denver found a way to keep all-world first baseman Gabriel Mendez quiet in game two walking him three times but the rest of his teammates couldn’t come up with the big hits when needed. The Wildcats evened the series by taking the game 2-0 on CF Raul Escobar’s 2-run homer in the seventh inning. The series moved to Denver for the next three games and the momentum seemed fully in favour of the home team. Game 3 was a masterclass in pitching from Anthony Barrett who pitched a two-hit shutout, game four was more of the same as Ron Henderson kept the vaunted LA offense quiet in a 5-1 Denver win. Game five saw the return to the mound in a starting role of LA’s Jose Marino for the first time since his April injury, the gamble failed as Marino struggled allowing seven runs in six innings as LA slipped disappointingly out of the playoffs, sending Denver to the World Series and a date with Atlanta.

The 2023 World Series saw Denver take on Atlanta, both teams possessed strong pitching but Denver, on paper at least, had the advantage on the offensive side. Both opening games went to extra innings with pitching dominating, Denver scraped the win in game one when 1B Jamie Boden singled allowing Jarrod Cross to score the only run of the game in the 11th while the following night it was the turn of Atlanta to squeeze home, an Arnold Davis homerun in the 10th giving them a 2-1 victory. Game 3 in Atlanta saw Denver starter Ron Henderson dominate the Flames giving up just a single hit through eight innings. Atlanta starter Jason McCullough on the other hand wasn’t quite so dialled-in allowing four runs through seven innngs before he was removed, but the damage was done as Denver ran out 4-1 winners to take the series lead. In another extra-inning game the following night, Atlanta tied the series when Charles Meuller homered off closer Curt Rice in the 10th while Atlanta finally got a quality playoff start out of Larry De Meza in game five when he outpitched Denver ace Anthony Barrett in a 3-1 victory. The series moved back to Denver with Atlanta firmly in the driving seat and needing one win for their second World Series victory. Game 6 seemed to be going their way, leading 1-0 with bases loaded and nobody out in the eighth it appeared the writing was on the wall for Denver. However, Wildcats starter Juan Garza, who had pitched well up to that point before imploding to load the bases, had other ideas, first striking out catcher Doug Axworthy, then getting Homer White to join Axworthy in striking out before fielding a sharp grounder from Charles Mueller and throwing Jorge Comotho out at home to end the inning. Spurred on by Garza’s heroics Denny Kent drew a walk before Jamie Boden took a Brandon Bissett fastball deep to give Denver a 2-1 walk-off win and break Atlanta’s hearts. The deciding game 7 pitted Atlanta ace Vince Little against Ron Henderson, Denver had momentum after the previous night and opened a 3-0 lead after six innings. Atlanta managed to get a run back off the Denver bullpen and had men on the corners with one out in the ninth against closer Curt Rice in a tight 3-1 game, Denver manager Yoshizaku Tanaka surprised everyone by pulling Rice and in a bold move sent his ace Anthony Barrett to the mound to get the last two outs. Barrett set to work, striking out John Sears then inducing Doug Axworthy to hit a soft grounder back to him before calmly throwing Axworthy out at first to preserve the 3-1 lead and give Denver a thrilling 4-3 series win over Atlanta.

2023 Playoff Recap

Divisional Series
EL: Atlanta 3-2 Indianapolis, Cleveland 3-0 Philadelphia
WL: Denver 3-2 Houston, Los Angeles 3-1 Oklahoma City
Championship Series
EL: Atlanta4-3 Cleveland
WL: Denver 4-1 Los Angeles
World Series
Denver 4-3 Atlanta

[JayW UK]

2023 Season Leaders and Awards

EL Batting
Hits
192 Stu Joyce (NY)
190 Vincente Gonzalez (TB)
184 Jorge Sanchez (NO)
Batting Avg
.329 Charles Mueller (ATL)
.322 Jorge Sanchez (NO)
.313 Richie Rambeaux (CLE)
Homeruns
41 Juan Santos (TB)
40 Jorge Sanchez (NO)
35 Francisco Martinez (NY)
RBI
115 Jorge Sanchez (NO)
114 Brian Watson (MIA)
107 Juan Santos (TB)
Stolen Bases
46 Daniel Garcia (NO)
38 Jonathan Russell (PHI)
34 Stu Joyce (NY)

EL Pitching
Wins
17 Loren Neal (IND)
17 Eric Parker (IND)
16 Vince Little (ATL)
ERA
2.08 Zander Pace (WAS)
2.23 Eric Parker (IND)
2.64 Duane Barker (PHI)
Strikeouts
277 Larry de Meza (ATL)
235 Eric Parker (IND)
230 Freddie Bankfield (PHI)
Saves
46 John Garcia (CLE)
41 Edgar Arroyo (PHI)
41 Alfonso Vargas (WAS)

WL Batting
Hits
229 Dixon Bodean (KC/HOU)
204 Earl Malone (LV)
194 Rizalino Nolasco (DAL)
Batting Avg
.385 Dixon Bodean (KC/HOU)*
.325 Earl Malone (LV)
.323 Will Nicholas (MIN)
Homeruns
45 Dixon Bodean (KC/HOU)*
39 Jamie Boden (DEN)
39 Claude Cummins (MIN)
RBI
138 Dixon Bodean (KC/HOU)*
117 Jamie Boden (DEN)
113 Gabriel Mendez (LA)
Stolen Bases
44 Angel Sanchez (AUS)
40 Ricardo Saucedo (LA)
37 Dustin Polk (SD)

WL Pitching
Wins
20 Marc Birstall (HOU)
19 Pedro Escobar (SD)
19 Gilbert Smith (OKC)
ERA
1.78 Marc Birstall (HOU)
2.42 Franklin Keyes (SJ)
2.43 Michael Morris (SF)
Strikeouts
277 Pedro Escobar (SD)
269 Marc Birstall (HOU)
245 Anthony Barrett (DEN)
Saves
47 Min-Jae Choi (LA)
45 Curt Rice (DEN)
44 Carlos Correa (MIN)

Batting Champion – Atlanta’s Charles Mueller (.329) held off the challenge of New Orleans star Jorge Sanchez (.322) to win the title in the east. In the west there was only one winner, Dixon Bodean (.385) who captured his third straight title finishing miles ahead of his nearest challenger Las Vegas 2B Earl Malone (.325)
Homerun Champion – Tampa Bay star Juan Santos (41 HR) just held off New Orleans slugger Jorge Sanchez (40 HR) to win his third homerun title. The western title was won by Dixon Bodean, his 45 homeruns pacing the NABL, Denver’s Jamie Boden (39 HR) and Minneapolis LF Claude Cummins (39 HR) were his nearest challengers.
Outstanding Hitter – New Orleans CF Jorge Sanchez (.322, 40 HR, 115 RBI, 115 R and 34 SB) took home the award in the east. Dixon Bodean (.385, 45 HR, 138 RBI, 122 R) took home his third consecutive award and also became the second player to achieve a batting triple crown. After being traded to Houston in June, Bodean hit a phenomenal .399, launched 29 HR and collected 98 RBI’s in just 89 games with the Stars.
Outstanding Pitcher – Indianapolis star Eric Parker (17-8, 2.23 ERA, 235K) took home his third award, it was the fourth year in a row that a Racers pitcher had won the award (Parker x 3 and Loren Neal x 1). Houston’s Marc Birstall (20-4, 1.78 ERA, 269K) was the unanimous winner in the west.
Rookie of the Year – In the east New York pitcher Orlando Vicenteno (16-5, 3.28 ERA) took the award while Las Vegas Outfielder Brian Quinborough (.281, 14 HR and 59 RBI) took home the western league award.
Manager of the Year – Atlanta manager Jeff Taylor collected the award in the east after taking his Flames to the World Series, it was his fourth such award two more than any other manager. In the west Denver’s rookie manager Yoshizaku Tanaka won the award for his brilliant first season in charge of the Wildcats leading them to their first World Series title.
Glove Wizard Awards EL – P Steve O’Cawley (ATL) – C Max Johnson (NY) – 1B Bill Smith (IND) – 2B Jim Gracia (WAS) – 3B Arnold Davis (ATL) – SS Javier Montano (WAS) – LF Jorge Camotho (ATL) – CF Luis Cano (PHI) – RF Albert Perales (DET)
Glove Wizards Awards WL – P Mark Hayes (PHO) – C Mark Abraham (DEN) – 1B Gabriel Mendez (LA) – 2B Michael Fleming (OKC) – 3B Clayton Martin (LA) – SS Albert Lara (LA) – LF Paul Bailey (SF) – CF Brian Quinborough (LV) – RF Jose Quintero (SJ)

Interesting Facts – New Orleans star CF Jorge Sanchez (40 HR, 34 SB) and up-and-coming Chicago 3B Jose Munoz (32 HR, 31 SB) both joined the exclusive 30 HR / 30 SB club. For Sanchez it was the second time he accomplished the feat, making him the first player in NABL history with multiple 30/30 seasons.

[JayW UK]

Interlude – Player Profile

Dixon Bodean - LF (Active)
College – N/A (High School)
Drafted - 2014 – 1st Round - #1 Overall by Kansas City Tornadoes
Current Team – None (Free Agent)
Previous Teams – KC (2014-2023), HOU (2023)

The Florida native was the unanimous number one prospect going into the draft with many scouts tabbing him as a future superstar. The 18-year-old was duly taken first overall by Kansas City but early returns were not as encouraging as hoped as through his first two minor league seasons he struggled to adjust, striking out 26% of the time and hitting only .265 with 14 homeruns. By 2016, his third season, he was showing why he was so highly rated by making adjustments and improving his game batting .307 with his strikeout rate down to 18% earning an extended major league call up, where he played well enough to make the 2017 opening day roster. As was the case with his minor league career, there was an adjustment period for Dixon Bodean at the Major league level, although he hit over .300 and did not strike out at the levels he had in his first two seasons, he struggled to hit for power, leading to many in the media to openly wonder if he ever would. They need not have worried, as he matured the power came, hitting 20+ homers in 2020 and 2021 before exploding in his next two seasons and, despite being traded mid-season, winning the Triple Crown in 2023. With Bodean slated to be a free agent after his epic 2023 Triple Crown season, he has no doubt priced himself out of a return to Houston and will have his pick of destinations. It is safe to say that Dixon Bodean has lived up to expectations so far, with three Outstanding Hitter awards to go with his three batting titles and the 2023 Triple Crown, while expectations remain high for him to continue playing at an elite level, on a personal basis the only thing missing from his resume is a World Series ring or two.

Career Stats
Regular Season
G - 1119 AB – 4350 RS - 715 H - 1505 2B - 322 3B - 25 HR - 161 RBI - 740 BB - 352 K - 433 SB - 51 CS - 29 AVG - .346 OBP- .407 SLG – .542 OPS – .949 OPS+ 154 WAR - 44.8
Post Season
G - 10 AB – 39 RS - 4 H - 12 2B - 3 3B - 0 HR - 2 RBI - 8 BB - 3 K - 4 SB - 0 CS - 0 AVG - .308 OBP – .385 SLG – .538 OPS – .923 OPS+ 139

[JayW UK]

2024 Off-Season

After their disappointing 2023 season San Jose chose to move on from GM Ted Garneau appointing former Kansas City Scouting Director Brian Halliday as his replacement. Halliday at just 37 years old was the youngest executive in the NABL and his first move was to overhaul the scouting department bringing in Ricardo Comparo, his former International scout in KC, to be his new Scouting Director. Comparo was given the task to improve the talent in the San Jose farm system through both the draft and making use of his international contacts, to achieve this task, Comparo was to be given the biggest international scouting budget in the NABL.
While these changes were happening out in San Jose, several managerial moves had been made. Detroit appointed former Washington Manager Keith Bennett as their new skipper while Washington did not give their vacant manager’s job to Cris Estrada as many expected, instead opting to hire Matt Hunt who had left Minneapolis. Hunt managed to persuade Estrada to stay on as bench coach on the understanding that he would not stand in Estrada’s way if he chose to pursue another managerial role in the future. Minneapolis stayed in house to replace Hunt by promoting bench coach Jason Middlemas while Boston’s new manager was longtime AAA skipper Gary Hatcher, who had just led his Anaheim Titans to the AAA Championship.
A busy offseason for player movement was kicked off by San Diego completing a trade with Houston, the Mariners sent 2B Dustin Polk along with 1B prospect Brad Schmidt and reliever Lou Stephens to the Stars for 3B Jose Montoya and $2.5M in cash considerations. Denver got in on the act by trading LF Jarrod Cross and prospect Anibal Portillo to LA for pitcher Roberto Gutierrez, the Wildcats had found themselves needing to make this deal after the loss of ace pitcher Anthony Barrett who joined Las Vegas on a 3 year $69M deal. On the plus side Denver pulled off the biggest free agency coup by far, persuading superstar LF Dixon Bodean to sign on the dotted line for $135M over six years, they also added former Austin 3B Luis Sanchez for $39M over 3 years, former Chicago closer Marcos Diaz for one year at $15.4M and after he was released by Washington, OF Andrew Parker for one year at $14M. Washington were also busy picking up former Tampa Bay SS Michael Matthews on a 5 year deal at $22M per year, they also added stud closer Min-Jae Choi from LA for 3 years at $33M. Former Washington closer Alfonso Vargas signed with Chicago for $28M over two years while pitcher Jason McCullough left Atlanta for Minneapolis in a 4 year $92M deal to join up with Dave Cahill and form a formidable one-two punch at the top of the Bears rotation. Tampa Bay at the behest of manager Paul Ladd, added catcher Jeff Green from Dallas on a five year $92.5M deal.
The 2024 draft had several quality college players at the top of the prospect list, led by CF Jason Clement from Temple, Arizona catcher Chris Coates, Kansas State’s 3B Michael Ford and 1B Randy Harrington from Pitt, while only a single high school player, outfielder Gregg Bambridge, was expected to be drafted high.
Armed with the first overall pick Detroit made CF Jason Clement their man, while Austin, picking second, surprised many by drafting New Mexico pitcher Philip Cooper. Picking next Miami also went with a pitcher tabbing Steven Reynolds of Long Beach State before Phoenix chose 3B Michael Ford fifth. Boston nabbed 1B Randy Harrington sixth overall and Las Vegas, surprised that he was still available, were ecstatic to pick catcher Chris Coates eighth. San Jose’s first pick on new GM Brian Halliday’s watch was High School outfielder Gregg Bambridge, taken with the eleventh pick.

On the eve of the season all eyes were on the Denver Wildcats, having spent heavily in free agency they were the early favourites to win the World Series, Los Angeles, the other heavyweight in the west, were expected to be just as strong as ever and were looking to get back to the World Series after falling to Denver in the 2023 WL Pennant Series. Minneapolis and OKC were expected to be the main contenders for the WL wildcard. In the east the picture was less clear cut with no team standing out, never-the-less Atlanta were expected to make the playoffs once again despite losing pitcher Jason McCullough to free agency and Indianapolis, looking to keep their 5 year playoff run going, being the other team favoured to challenge in the east. While in Tampa Bay, the pressure was on manager Paul Ladd, with the Hurricanes having the highest payroll in the east expectations were high, and a run at the EL Pennant or even the World Series was the least that Ladd was tasked with delivering. The one thing that most people could agree on however, was that Detroit and Miami would once again resume their places as cellar dwellers in their respective divisions.

[JayW UK]

2024 Regular Season

Eastern League Review

In the Atlantic division, Boston rode the NABL’s top scoring offense to the title, led by 23-year-old rookie 1B Luis Miguel Estrada (.312, 26 HR, 120 RBI) and 25-year-old CF Stu Joyce (.351, 15 HR, 74 RBI + 34 SB) the Pilgrims won 87 games to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2019. Philadelphia failed to build on their 2023 division win and slipped back to finish second with an 81-81 record, their biggest problem was inconsistent pitching, Freddie Bankfield (17-7, 3.39 ERA) was strong but both Andre Bacon (5-14, 4.87 ERA) and Myles Jones (5-15, 3.91 ERA) struggled. New York were hit by injuries, especially to their rotation (all five pitchers in the rotation on opening day spent time on the DL during the season) and so struggled to find any consistency, finishing 78-84. The biggest surprise was Washington, after spending big in free agency more was expected from the Generals, but held back by the worst offense in the EL Washington limped home with a 71-91 record.
The Central division was a race to the wire between the Jose Munoz (.332, 34 HR, 103 RBI) inspired Chicago Zephyrs and Indianapolis with Jerry Wood (20-6, 2.96 ERA) and the EL’s #1 pitching staff, the two teams finished the season tied for first place both having won 90 games. The pair faced off once more and it was Indianapolis who took the victory, using their big game experience to edge past the Zephyrs 3-1. With outstanding SS Richie Rambeaux (.301, 44 HR, 112 RBI) leading the way Cleveland finished the season on a tear, going 9-1 over their last ten games to finish 86-76. The addition of manager Keith Bennett in Detroit paid immediate dividends as the Giants played competent baseball for the first time in years on the way to finishing 76-86, their first campaign with more than 70 wins in six years.
In the Southeast division a three-way battle developed between Atlanta, New Orleans and Tampa Bay. Entering the final week of play New Orleans held a slender one game lead over the other two and would finish the season playing a three-game set in Tampa. The Flames stumbled down the stretch to finish a disappointing third with an 82-80 record while New Orleans (85-77) finished strong, sweeping Tampa Bay (83-79) on the road behind the power hitting of LF Salvador Marrero (5 HR and 11 RBI in the three-game series), to take the division by two games. Miami brought up the rear as expected victorious only 63 times a two-game improvement on 2023.

Final Standings

Atlantic Division
Boston 87-75 *
Philadelphia 81-81
New York 78-84
Washington 71-91

Central Division
Indianapolis 91-72 * (+)
Chicago 90-73 * (+)
Cleveland 86-76
Detroit 76-86

Southeast Division
New Orleans 85-77 *
Tampa Bay 83-79
Atlanta 82-80
Miami 63-99

Play-In Game
(+) Indianapolis defeats Chicago to claim Central Division title, Chicago qualifies for playoffs as Wildcard team.

[JayW UK]

2024 Regular Season

Western League Review

Denver and Oklahoma City renewed their rivalry in the Midwest division. The two teams had the biggest payrolls in the west and the top two offenses to boot, but it was Denver, led by LF Dixon Bodean (.388, 52 HR, 126 RBI) and rising star, CF Raul Escobar (.309, 36 HR, 78 RBI + 34 SB) who came out on top, taking the division with a record of 100-62, while OKC faded down the stretch to finish 92-70. Minneapolis (87-75) finished third despite boasting the top pitching staff in the NABL led by Dave Cahill (19-6, 2.43 ERA) and an offense powered by slugging LF Claude Cummins (.292, 47 HR, 117 RB), while Kansas City once again found themselves in the basement of the best division in baseball winning just 68 games.
The Southwest division was a season long three-way tussle between Austin, Las Vegas and Phoenix. Austin did just enough to hold off the other two to take the division title by one game and return to the playoffs after a 2-year absence. Las Vegas (82-80) had the league’s third best pitching staff with off-season signing Anthony Barrett (18-13, 2.44 ERA) leading the way, but the Gamblers offense just did not score enough runs, evidenced by their league worst offense, scoring only 570 runs on the season. Phoenix (82-80) finished the season strong to but still missed the playoffs for the tenth consecutive year, while Dallas (76-86) slipped to fourth in the division despite winning one more game than in 2023. Houston were the biggest surprise on the season slipping from first to worst, finishing the campaign with a hugely disappointing 76-86 record.
Behind their Raul Vazquez (16-6, 2,54 ERA) and Max Castle (16-11, 2.92 ERA) led pitching staff, Los Angeles cruised to their seventh straight Pacific division title with a 97-65 record, San Jose finished second with 90 wins also relying on pitching with Raul Pena (18-13, 2.76 ERA) and relief pitcher John Guy (10-2, 2.92 ERA) in particular standing out. San Diego slipped to third in the division with an identical 83-79 record to their 2023 campaign while Sanfrancisco (62-100) and Seattle (56-106) occupied the division basement with both squads blooding a number of promising youngsters throughout the lost season.

Final Standings

Midwest Division
Denver 100-62 *
Oklahoma City 92-70 *
Minneapolis 87-75
Kansas City 68-94

Southwest Division
Austin 83-79 *
Las Vegas 82-80
Phoenix 82-80
Dallas 76-86
Houston 76-86

Pacific Division
Los Angeles 97-65 *
San Jose 90-72
San Diego 83-79
Sanfrancisco 62-100
Seattle 56-106

[JayW UK]

2024 Season Notes

April 11th - Miami’s Pat Sweeney collected six hits in a losing effort against Tampa Bay.
April 12th – In a wild game between division foes Philadelphia and New York that featured a total of twenty-two runs, two men stood out above the rest, Philadelphia 2B Luis Cano and New York LF Steve Burgess. Both men had big days, Cano going 3-6 with two homers (one of them a grand slam) and 8 RBI while Steve Burgess went 3-5 with a double and two homers and eight RBI of his own. However, it was the bat of Philadelphia 3B Gregg Hopper that eventually won the game when he smashed a 2 RBI double in the top of the ninth giving the Independence a 12-10 victory.
April 21st - Austin’s international discovery Yu-Shu Yang launched three homeruns in a 9-5 win against division rivals Las Vegas.
April 27th - OKC’s Carlos Vazquez became the newest member of the 300 HR club, he was joined by Minneapolis LF Claude Cummings on June 3rd and New York’s Francisco Martinez on 25th July.
May 16th - New York LF Steve Burgess became the latest player to hit four doubles in a single game, helping the Senators thump Philadelphia 11-3.
May 27th - LA’s Gabriel Mendez became the first player in NABL history to score 1000 runs in his career, scoring twice in LA’s 4-1 victory over San Jose.
May 28th - when Philadelphia closer Edgar Arrojo closed out a 4-2 win against Boston, he collected his 14th save of the season and became the first player in NABL history to record 400 saves.
June 3rd - Tampa Bay’s Juan Santos joined Gabriel Martinez in the 1000 runs scored club, collecting number 1000 in a losing effort against New York.
June 19th - Not happy with his effort, Tampa Bay manager Paul Ladd sanctioned the trade of outfielder Chris Ross, sending him to Oklahoma City for two prospects, CF Huko Malaki and 2B Eustace Goebel.
June 27th - Tampa Bay continued their clear out of underperforming players, shipping first baseman Vincente Gonzalez to Houston for 2B Felix Martinez.
July 4th - Oklahoma City star Carlos Vazquez became the third player to reach 1000 RBI in his career, joining Gabriel Mendez and Juan Santos.
July 8th - Atlanta starter Larry De Meza dominated Detroit, striking out 15 in only eight innings of work.
July 10th - in a blockbuster trade, Indianapolis shipped star pitcher Loren Neal to New York in exchange for LF Steve Burgess and top catching prospect Carlos Lopez.
July 15th - Denver closer Marcos Diaz became the newest member of the 300 save club.
July 16th - in a game against Miami, Chicago pitcher Jose Cuesta produced arguably the most dominant pitching performance in NABL history, hurling a PERFECT GAME while striking out 15 batters along the way. It was the fourth perfect game in NABL history and took just 83 pitches to accomplish.
July 18th - Minneapolis traded veteran starter Carlos Correa along with $3M to Chicago for prospects LF Angle Ramirez and SS Christian Moore.
July 27th - LA’s rotation took a hit when starter Tomas Freitas suffered an elbow strain, within days he was placed on the 60-day DL and lost for the season. With limited options to replace Freitas within LA’s farm system the Lynx opted for outside help, signing 38-year-old journeyman free agent John Jones (in the 10 games he played in place of Freitas his record was 4-2 with a 3.10 ERA)
July 29th - in only his second start for Chicago Carlos Correa suffered an elbow injury, sending him to the DL for 4 weeks.
September 3rd - Los Angeles starter Max Castle beat Dallas like a drum, accumulating 15 strikeouts in a 4-1 win.
September 17th - Atlanta’s Vince Little also collected 15 strikeouts, dominating Detroit in a 9-2 Flames victory.
September 17th - Houston 2B Dustin Polk became only the second player to steal four bases in a single game, joining former Seattle outfielder Hector Filex who achieved the feat twice in his career.
September 21st - Tampa Bay star outfielder Juan Santos had a night to remember, in a 12-5 victory against Boston he belted six hits in seven at bats, including a double and two homeruns scoring five times and collecting 6 RBI’s. The second of his homeruns on the night was the 400th of his career making him the first player in NABL to reach the landmark!!
September 28th - with his 20th victory of the season OKC pitcher Bill Boyce joined teammate A.J Merriweather on 20 wins, making them the first teammates in NABL history to each win at least 20 games in the same season.
September 29th - Chicago placed pitcher Carlos Correa onto the 60-day DL with Shoulder Inflammation ending his season.
October 1st – three managers were relieved of their duties at seasons end, in Seattle Mike Holdsworth was fired after another poor season while in New York, William McDonald was shown the door after the Senators own disappointing campaign. Tampa Bay’s end of season implosion, culminating in being swept at home by New Orleans eliminating them from the playoffs, was the final straw for owner Hiraldo Simon who promptly fired manager Paul Ladd.

[JayW UK]

2024 Playoffs

Divisional Round

In the east Boston would host playoff new boys Chicago while Indianapolis would face off against New Orleans in a repeat of their 2019 meeting at the same stage. Over in the west, World Series favorites Denver took on Austin while Los Angeles and Oklahoma City met for the second year in a row.
The eastern league saw a strength-on-strength matchup in the divisional round with Boston’s powerful offense taking on Chicago’s No2 pitching unit. Games 1 and 2 in Boston went to the visitors as the vaunted Boston bats found themselves stymied, first by Jose Cuesta in game one then Justin Babbitt in game two, scoring just three runs combined against the two Chicago starters. However, in game three the Boston offense came to life, hitting three homeruns and roughing up Chicago starter Ramon Perez on the way to an 11-3 win, Chicago starter Jose Cuesta continued his dominance of the Boston hitters in game four, pitching six shutout innings before handing over to Alfonso Vargas and the bullpen to see out a comfortable 6-1 win and send Chicago through to the pennant series.
The series between Indianapolis and New Orleans was expected to be a low-scoring battle as both teams possessed top pitching (IND #1 while NO were #3) and middling offenses, to the surprise of many game one was a slugfest as the Blues slugged three homeruns (Salvador Marrero, Fernando Flores and Damon Massingham) while Indianapolis clubbed four (Bill Smith 2, Rob Hodges and Richard Watson) in a 12-10 Indianapolis win. Game two was back to normality with Indianapolis starter Eric Parker keeping New Orleans quiet on the way to a 3-1 win, New Orleans kept the series alive by taking game three in another pitcher’s duel with Carlo Tagros getting the better of Josh Shaw. Game four went to Indianapolis when Jerry Wood pitched a shutout with the only run of the game coming from the bat of Tim Calhoun in the seventh inning. Indianapolis advanced onto the EL pennant series for the fourth time in their history to face off against playoff virgins Chicago.
Denver rolled into the playoffs on the back of an eight-game winning streak boasting the NABL’s most powerful offense and full of confidence, standing in their way was an Austin squad who had battled all season long to surprisingly win the Southwest division crown. The series appeared to heavily favor Denver and a mismatch was predicted and that is exactly what transpired, Denver rolled over Austin three games to nil barely breaking sweat while outscoring Austin 19-3 over the three games. The other series in the western league was a mouth-watering matchup between LA and OKC. Pitting LA’s pitching (No2 in the WL) led by Max Castle and Raul Vazquez against OKC’s offense (No 2 in the WL) featuring C Bob Stone, SS Kevin Jones and 1B Carlos Vazquez. While on paper this was a close matchup, in reality it was another mismatch. LA entered the playoffs having won eight of their last ten games and going 18-11 in September while OKC had stumbled down the stretch dipping to 12-16 during the final month. Despite the best efforts of OKC’s pitchers, the Lynx shut the Outlaws offense down completely while scoring just enough to win the series 3-0, while the scores were close the games themselves were not as it always felt LA had another gear to slip into if needed.

[JayW UK]

2024 Playoffs

Championship Round

The Eastern League pennant series featured the top two ranked pitching staffs in the league, Indianapolis opened at home but were stunned by Chicago who turned excellent starts by Justin Babbitt and Ramon Perez and some timely hitting from the likes of Jose Munoz, Scott Coleman and Kevin Nelson, into two comfortable wins. After losing the first two games at home Indianapolis were up against it and needed to respond to keep their World Series hopes alive, they got off to the perfect start in game three when lead-off man Johnny Pineda clubbed a homerun off Chicago starter Jose Mejia. They stretched the lead to three in the fourth inning when Tim Calhoun hit a 2 RBI double but the Zephyrs would not be broken and came roaring back with 2 runs in both the sixth and seventh innings to take a 4-3 lead. The Chicago bullpen kept the Indianapolis hitters off balance for the rest of the game to secure the 4-3 win. Chicago ace Jose Cuesta took the mound in game four against Racers ace Jerry Wood, in a pitcher’s duel, it was Chicago that finally broke through, plating four runs in the sixth inning and adding two more in the eighth to end the Racers hopes and send the Zephyrs on to the fall classic with a stunning 4-0 series sweep.
The western league pennant series was a repeat of the 2023 WLCS with LA out to avenge their loss, they would have a tough task stopping Denver’s powerful offense but LA’s strength lay in their pitching (No2 in the west) and if anyone could stop the Wildcats it was them. In game one it was not Denver’s offense but their pitching that won the day, former LA starter Roberto Gutierrez allowed just four base runners (2 hits and 2 walks) through seven innings and while the bullpen gave up a run in the ninth the game was already safe. Game 2 was more of the same, strong performances by both starters (LA’s Raul Vazquez and Denver’s Rich Townsley) keeping the game close through seven innings with LA’s bullpen breaking down and allowing Denver to steal the game and take a 2-0 series lead to Southern California. The Denver offense finally broke out in game three, smoking four homeruns (with 2 each from Dixon Bodean and Jamie Boden) and knocking LA starter Bart Ellis out of the game early on their way to a lopsided 12-4 win, Los Angeles finally came to play in game four, with their backs to the wall the Lynx produced their finest performance of the playoffs. LA starter Jimmy Chien pitched a gem shutting the Denver offense down, allowing a single hit through eight innings and while LA’s offense was quiet most of the night, Gabriel Mendez provided the only runs LA would need when he clubbed a 3-run homer in the seventh, LA closer Manuel Trevino shut the door on Denver in the ninth to give LA hope. The following night LA once again found themselves struggling and with the game tied at 1 in the eighth inning Gabriel Mendez allowed his frustration to boil over, after being called out looking on a marginal call, Mendez squared up to, and in a moment of madness, shoved the umpire resulting in his ejection from the game. After the ejection LA pushed the self-destruct button, first, with 1 out in the top of the ninth Denver’s Raul Escobar earned a walk then pitcher David Ross balked Escobar to second, he followed that up by walking Andrew Parker on four pitches, these mistakes were compounded by catcher David Miller when, on a double steal attempt, he proceeded to throw the ball away into the outfield allowing Escobar to score from second. Parker scored next when 3B Clayton Martin threw the ball into the dugout instead of to first base on a simple grounder, and to cap it all off pitcher Ivan Castro (who had replaced Ross) served up a two-run homer to Charlie May to put Denver out of sight. LA’s meltdown handed the game on a plate to Denver who would now head off to the World Series to face Chicago aiming to repeat as champions.

[JayW UK]

2024 Playoffs

World Series

The 2024 World Series pitted Denver, the defending Champions, against playoff newcomers Chicago. The Wildcats boasted a plethora of big-name players with big game experience and the league’s most powerful offense capable of turning a game on its head in an instant, while their opponents Chicago possessed the eastern league’s No2 scoring offense and second-best pitching but would have their work cut out against Denver’s big game players. Game 1 in Denver went to plan for the Wildcats, who hit three homeruns on the way to a routine 6-2 win, The Zephyrs stunned Denver in game two, a solid start from Jose Cuesta plus a steady stream of runs led to a 9-2 Chicago win. Game three was a pitching battle until Chicago finally broke through when Juan Fuentes scored on a Scott Winters sacrifice fly, Denver pegged them back when Dixon Bodean hit solo homerun in the top of the eighth only for Chicago rookie Matt Henderson, on pinch hitting duties, to slug a homerun of his own to give the Zephyrs the lead back. Chicago’s 38-year-old veteran closer, Alfonso Vargas, kept Denver off the scoreboard in the ninth to secure the 2-1 win. The following night, Denver’s offense broke out early slamming three homers and six runs off Chicago starter Jose Mejia and chasing him from the game before the end of the third inning. The Zephyrs bullpen wrestled a measure of control back allowing a single run the rest of the game but the damage had been done and Denver ran out easy 7-1 winners to even the series once again. Game five was Chicago’s last home game of the season and the fans turned out in record numbers, playing in front of the raucous crowd the Zephyrs did not disappoint. Starter Justin Babbitt kept Denver’s potent offense quiet while Chicago built a 4-0 lead courtesy of a 3-run homer from Jose Munoz and a solo shot from Scott Coleman, the Wildcats finally got on the scoreboard and chased Babbitt in the seventh, only for Chicago relievers Paul Shaw, Jorge Carrasco and closer Alfonso Vargas to hold them in check the rest of the way and give the Zephyrs a 4-1 win. Game 6 was back in Denver with the home team knowing it was do or die, Ron Henderson drew the start for the Wildcats while Chicago countered with their ace Jose Cuesta. Denver scored first when Raul Escobar hit a leadoff triple then scored on Andrew Parker’s single, catcher Mark Abraham clubbed a solo homer in the fourth, doubling Denver’s lead. Chicago finally got on the board in the seventh halving the deficit, before tying the game in the eighth and completing the turnaround in the ninth with SS Kevin Nelson scoring on a 3B Jose Munoz sacrifice fly stunning the Denver crowd. Chicago closer Alfonso Vargas took the mound for the bottom of the ninth needing three outs to secure Chicago their first World Series, Escobar singled and then stole second before the next two Denver batters struck out, Jamie Boden hit a sharp single into right field and Escobar was waved home from second. Chicago RF Juan Fuentes launched the ball to home where catcher Scott Coleman was waiting, ball and man arrived at the same time with Escobar barreling into the Chicago catcher only for Coleman to hang onto the ball and Escobar to be called out, preserving Chicago’s 3-2 lead and handing the Zephyrs the World Series in the most dramatic fashion.

2024 Playoff Recap

Divisional Series
EL: Chicago 3-1 Boston, Indianapolis 3-1 New Orleans
WL: Denver 3-0 Austin, Los Angeles 3-0 Oklahoma City
Championship Series
EL: Chicago 4-0 Indianapolis
WL: Denver 4-1 Los Angeles
World Series
Chicago 4-2 Denver

[JayW UK]

2024 Season Leaders and Awards

EL Batting
Hits
223 Stu Joyce (BOS)
209 Jose Munoz (CHI)
201 Daniel Garcia (NO)
Batting Avg
.351 Stu Joyce (BOS)
.342 Juan Santos (TB)
.340 Clarence Davis (CLE)
Homeruns
44 Richie Rambeaux (CLE)
34 Pedro Arevalo (CLE)
34 Jose Munoz (CHI)
RBI
120 Luis Estrada (BOS)
112 Richie Rambeaux (CLE)
103 Jose Munoz (CHI)
Stolen Bases
49 Daniel Garcia (NO)
34 Stu Joyce (BOS)
33 Jose Munoz (CHI)

EL Pitching
Wins
20 Larry de Meza (ATL) *
20 Jerry Wood (IND)
18 Keith Robison (CLE)
ERA
2.54 Larry de Meza (ATL) *
2.58 Vince Little (ATL)
2.60 Carlo Tagros (NO)
Strikeouts
287 Larry de Meza (ATL) *
244 Jerry Wood (IND)
236 Eric Parker (IND)
Saves
39 Greg Gray (DET)
38 Roberto Perez (TB)
38 Kendrick Younger (NO)

WL Batting
Hits
245 Dixon Bodean (DEN)
217 Dustin Polk (HOU)
183 Gabriel Mendez (LA)
Batting Avg
.388 Dixon Bodean (DEN) *
.336 Dustin Polk (HOU)
.320 Will Nicholas (MIN)
Homeruns
52 Dixon Bodean (DEN) *
47 Claude Cummins (MIN)
36 Raul Escobar (DEN)
RBI
126 Dixon Bodean (DEN) *
117 Claude Cummins (MIN)
91 Jamie Boden (DEN)
Stolen Bases
42 Dustin Polk (HOU)
37 Jose Velasquez (SEA)
34 Raul Escobar (DEN)

WL Pitching
Wins
20 Bill Boyce (OKC)
20 AJ Merriweather (OKC)
19 Dave Cahill (MIN)
ERA
1.75 Earl Stone (DAL)
2.25 Marc Birstall (HOU)
2.43 Dave Cahill (MIN)
Strikeouts
279 Marc Birstall (HOU)
254 Anthony Barrett (LV)
247 Earl Stone (DAL)
Saves
49 Marcos Diaz (DEN)
41 Robert Grove (OKC)
39 Stephen Davis (LV)

Batting Champion – Boston’s Stu Joyce (.351) collected the award in the east, finishing ahead of Tampa Bay star Juan Santos (.342) and Cleveland 1B Clarence Davis (.340). In the west Denver’s Dixon Bodean (.388) collected his fourth straight batting title, finishing 52 percentage points ahead of his nearest challenger, Houston’s Dustin Polk (.336)
Homerun Champion – in the east, Cleveland’s Richie Rambeaux (44 HR’s) finished well ahead of teammate Pedro Arevalo and Chicago’s Jose Munoz who both finished with 34. Over in the west, Dixon Bodean won his second homerun title with 52 homers, beating Minneapolis star Claude Cummins who hit a career high 47.
Outstanding Hitter – in the east, Chicago 3B Jose Munoz (.332, 34HR, 103 RBI, 111 Runs and 33 SB) held off Juan Santos (TB) and Stu Joyce (BOS) to win the award. In the west Dixon Bodean (.388, 52 HR, 126 RBI and 126 Runs) was dominant once again, winning the award for the fourth straight year while collecting his second batting triple-crown.
Outstanding Pitcher – Atlanta’s Larry de Meza (20-9, 2.54 ERA and 287K) won his first award while also becoming the third player to record a pitching triple crown. In the west OKC’s Bill Boyce (20-6, 2.46 ERA) won the award but many observers felt Dallas pitcher Earl Stone (15-4, 1.75 ERA) was the more deserving candidate.
Rookie of the Year – The eastern award was picked up by Boston’s impressive 1B Luis Miguel Estrada (.312, 26 HR, 120 RBI). While in the west Dallas LF Kevin Perkins (.266, 14 HR, 63 RBI) collected the award.
Manager of the Year – Chicago manager Hector Guerra collected the award in the east for leading the Zephyrs to their stunning World Series win. In the west, Denver manager Yoshizaku Tanaka collected his second consecutive award despite his Wildcats being upstaged in the World Series.
Glove Wizards Awards EL – P Robinson Castro (IND) – C Don Bernard (BOS) – 1B Charles Mueller (ATL) – 2B Alan Williams (CHI) – 3B Fernando Flores (NO) – SS Richie Rambeaux (CLE) – LF Salvador Marrero (NO) – CF Travis Olsen (PHI) – RF Urbano Bertoluchi (IND)
Glove Wizard Awards WL – P Max Castle (LA) – C Bob Stone (OKC) – 1B Gabriel Mendez (LA) – 2B Tim Dowell (PHO) – 3B Jose Montoya (SD) – SS Ronald MacKinney (AUS) – LF Claude Cummins (MIN) – CF Brian Quinborough (LV) – RF Nick Robbins (SD)

Interesting Facts – For the second straight season two players hit at least 30 homeruns and stole 30 bases. Chicago 3B Jose Munoz (34 HR, 33 SB) and Denver CF Raul Escobar (36 HR, 34 SB). For Munoz it was his second consecutive 30/30 season, making him the first player in NABL history to achieve back-to-back 30/30 campaigns.
39-year-old veteran pitcher Ed Hudson found himself in an unfamiliar place during the 2024 season, being moved to a bullpen role. Prior to the season he had appeared in 335 games (all starts) possessed a career 147-84 record and sported a sparkling 2.69 ERA. It was safe to say the experiment was not a success, as Hudson endured a miserable season (3-14, 8.33 ERA, 23 saves in 78 games). Another pitcher who had a nightmare season was Sanfrancisco’s Martin Pineda, whose 23 losses matched the NABL record set in 2018 by Maxwell Hanson. Pineda’s struggles were not just limited to playing in Sanfrancisco, as over the past three seasons (2022-24) he had played for three teams (IND, PHO and SF) and compiled a 20-57, 4.69 ERA mark.

[JayW UK]

2025 Off-season

At the conclusion of the NABL winter meetings commissioner Buddy McHugh announced that the league would expand by two teams in time for the 2027 season. The new franchises would be placed in the Eastern league to bring it in line with the west with fourteen teams. One franchise would be awarded to Charles B Dolan and be placed in St. Louis (it seemed that all of his lobbying had finally paid off) with the second given to Charlotte ahead of bids from Baltimore and Nashville. McHugh also stated there would be an expansion draft at the conclusion of the 2026 season with the league’s existing teams able to ‘protect’ 20 players on their 40-man rosters. The new franchises would also receive the top two picks in each round of the amateur draft in an attempt to help them build competitive teams quickly.
Tampa Bay owner Hiraldo Simon found his new manager in the form of Kansas City skipper Eddie Gray, within days of firing Paul Ladd he set about obtaining Gray’s services and after several days of marathon meetings, finally agreed a compensation package with KC for them to release Gray from his contract. Former New York manager William McDonald found a new home in Seattle while Indianapolis promoted from within, elevating Bench Coach Dave Flanagan to fill their vacant managerial position. Minneapolis also found themselves looking for a new manager after Jason Middlemas stepped down after one year in charge to take the vacant New York job much to the chagrin of ownership, the Bears eventually stayed in house, promoting bench coach Jesus Espinoza to replace the departed Middlemas.
Free agency opened with a bang, Las Vegas who had one of the top pitching staffs but also one of the worst offenses in the NABL in 2024, set out to rectify that by…. Chasing the signatures of yet more star pitchers!! First to sign was former Minneapolis ace Dave Cahill on a monster 6 year $168M deal, Las Vegas then added Max Castle from LA on a 6 year $165M contract. Cahill and Castle would join Anthony Barrett to give Las Vegas a formidable top 3 in their rotation with the local press nicknaming them the “Three Amigos”. Los Angeles also said goodbye to superstar 1B Gabriel Mendez who joined his great friend and rival Juan Santos in Tampa Bay, signing for two years and $43M. Denver’s rotation took a hit when pitcher Roberto Gutierrez jumped ship and joined Mendez in Tampa Bay for $33.6M over two years. The Wildcats also lost a key part of their bullpen when closer Marcos Diaz signed a $35M deal to call Austin home for the next 3 years. Miami 1B Brian Watson left Florida for the Midwest division, signing a four year $83.5M deal with OKC whilst former New York leftfielder Francisco Martinez also headed out west, joining Minneapolis on a 2 year $31M deal. After an underwhelming run in Oklahoma City, veteran shortstop Kevin Jones was on the move again, this time signing on in Indianapolis for 2 years and $43M.
The 2025 amateur draft was not the one to find the next franchise cornerstone, the top college players available were catcher Aaron Harris from Houston Baptist and Texas Tech pitcher Randy Bane while the top high school prospects were hard throwing pitcher Mike Pickett and defensive stud, outfielder George Shipp. On draft night Seattle surprised almost everyone when they picked 22-year-old Northern Colorado CF Jerry Ambles first overall, Sanfrancisco made high school star Mike Pickett the first pitcher taken when they drafted him second. Kansas City tabbed George Shipp fourth overall and if Shipp progressed as hoped, he projected to be a high contact hitter with decent power but no-one could argue that his defensive skills were not already NABL ready. Washington made Houston Baptist catcher, Aaron Harris the fifth pick while Dallas took Texas Tech pitcher Randy Bane sixth.

On the eve of the season all eyes were on Tampa Bay, with a new manager on board and the bash brothers, Gabriel Mendez and Juan Santos also in town, big things were expected. Chicago had a relatively quiet off-season but still possessed a young hungry team and were tipped to challenge Indianapolis in the Central division while the Atlantic division was wide open with no team really standing out.
In the west Denver were once again the team to beat but would face stiff competition from OKC and Minneapolis, both of whom had strengthened. Los Angeles, having lost key players to free agency would have a hard time holding onto their Pacific division crown with San Diego and San Jose waiting in the wings. Las Vegas had the “three amigos” but would almost certainly be held back by their pedestrian offense, never the less, they would still be in the hunt for the Southwest division title.

[JayW UK]

2025 Regular Season

Eastern League Review

Boston followed up their excellent 2024 with an equally impressive campaign, winning the Atlantic division with a 92-70 record. The Pilgrims drew the crowds (over 4 million fans turned out to see them during the season) with their high-powered offense once again leading the way amassing 188 homeruns, featuring five players who hit at least 20 homeruns, LF Stephen Thomas (30), 1B Luis Miguel Estrada (28), RF Jared Guest (28), SS Joseph Davis (25) and CF Lucio Martinez (21). New York (87-75) finished as runners up, relying heavily on their pitching staff with Orlando Vicenteno (13-6, 2.94 ERA), David Gonzalez 13-7, 2.78 ERA) and Loren Neal 13-9, 2.87 ERA) all impressing while Philadelphia were a further game back with an 86-76 record. Washington had a disastrous season finishing with a franchise worst 59-103 record, the Generals conceded the most runs in the NABL (855) and were also the worst offensive team in the eastern league.
Chicago, led by star 3B Jose Munoz (.316, 42 HR, 125 RBI) and 22-year-old star-in-the-making 1B Matt Henderson (.377, 10 HR, 69 RBI) claimed their first division crown with a 91-71 record, nine games ahead of Cleveland (82-80) who had the eastern league’s second-best offense powered by SS Richie Rambeaux (.342, 39 HR, 111 RBI) and 1B Clarence Davis (.353, 29 HR, 103 RBI). Indianapolis struggled to a 78-win campaign which was their worst since their 80-win season in 2015 while in Detroit Keith Bennett found his second season in charge to be much harder than anticipated, as the team continued their exercise in futility slipping back to a 65-97 record and finishing bottom for the seventh year in a row. With ownership unwilling to spend (the Giants had the lowest payroll in the league by a wide margin in 2025) not much was likely to change in the near future.
In the Southeast division New Orleans held off Tampa Bay for the title, finishing with a 91-71 record four games ahead of the hurricanes. New Orleans leaned heavily on their outstanding team defense and strong pitching, with Kenny Law (16-7, 2.73 ERA) and Francisco Hernandez (13-4, 3.50) carrying the load to hold off a Tampa team that featured heavy hitters Juan Santos (.273, 50 HR, 128 RBI) and 1B Gabriel Mendez (.282, 30 HR, 119 RBI). Atlanta struggled to an 80-82 season and even a pitching staff boasting Vince Little (16-10, 2.89 ERA) and reigning pitcher of the year Larry De Meza (17-8, 2.99 ERA), couldn’t lift them higher, bringing up the rear was Miami who somewhat surprisingly with the second worst offense in the NABL holding them back, still managed to put together a 77-85 season, their best since 2020.
New York and Tampa Bay (87-75) finished the regular season locked in a tie for the wildcard spot, the one game eliminator pitted the EL #2 pitching staff (NY) against the EL #3 offense (TB). Tampa Bay came into the game aiming to lay to rest their bitter disappointment at missing out on the playoffs the previous year, but it was New York who came out on top 4-1 with the Senators pitching keeping the powerful Hurricanes offense at bay (Juan Santos and Gabriel Mendez combined for 339 Hits, 80 HR and 247 RBI’s during the season but were both held hitless during the game). Another disappointing end to a season for Tampa Bay.

Final Standings

Atlantic Division
Boston 92-70 *
New York 88-75 * (+)
Philadelphia 86-76
Washington 59-103

Central Division
Chicago 91-71 *
Cleveland 82-80
Indianapolis 78-84
Detroit 65-97

Southeast Division
New Orleans 91-71 *
Tampa Bay 87-76 (+)
Atlanta 80-82
Miami 77-85

Play-In Game
(+) New York Defeats Tampa Bay to claim EL Wildcard

[JayW UK]

2025 Regular Season

Western League Review

The Midwest division saw a season long see-saw battle between Denver (86-76) with star duo Dixon Bodean (.348, 54 HR, 141 RBI) and 1B Jamie Boden (.310, 39 HR, 105 RBI) powering their offense, and Minneapolis (85-77) with RF Claude Cummins (30 HR) providing the offensive spark and Wessel Oost (13-5, 2.84 ERA) anchoring their stout pitching staff. It took until the final game of the season to decide the winner of the division with the Wildcats prevailing and taking the crown by a single game over the Bears. Kansas City improved to 76 wins to finish third while Oklahoma City slumped form 92 wins and a playoff berth to just 72 wins and a last place finish, mainly because of their pitching struggles.
Houston rode their top-3 pitching staff, featuring Phil Drew (16-6, 3.36 ERA), David Cook (15-8, 2.92 ERA) and Marc Birstall (12-6, 2.42 ERA) and an offense led by outfield trio RF Joey Buhler (.290, 43 HR, 124 RBI), LF Vicente Gonzalez (.293, 39 HR, 104 RBI) and CF Angel Valdez (.288, 32 HR, 109 RBI) to the Southwest division crown, finishing a franchise best 96-66, Las Vegas, led by the ‘Three Amigos’ and cheered on by over 3.5M fans finished second with a record of 92-70 (also a franchise best) and claimed the wildcard spot. Phoenix (85-77) finished third three games ahead of Austin while Dallas, who struggled through a dismal 67-win season, brought up the rear.
The Pacific division saw a change at the top with Seattle (88-74) making a fairytale return to the playoffs for the first time in nine years. San Diego fell away down the stretch to finish 85-77 despite strong pitching performances from Pedro Escobar (17-8, 2.45 ERA) and Felipe Sanchez (16-10, 2.37 ERA), San Jose finished 81-81 with the best defense in the NABL but, like the 2024 Las Vegas Gamblers, were held back by a less than stellar offense. Sanfrancisco improved their performance by 10 games on 2024 to finish 72-90 but the biggest story was the fall of Los Angeles, who after seven straight division titles and four 100-win seasons slumped to a 67-95 record. After losing several key players to free agency the Lynx endured a dismal season, struggling throughout the year with injuries and poor form (they scored just 564 runs and batted only .232 as a team), and while their pitching was middle of the road, it couldn’t make up for their anemic offense.

Final Standings

Midwest Division
Denver 86-76 *
Minneapolis 85-77
Kansas City 76-86
Oklahoma City 72-90

Southwest Division
Houston 96-66 *
Las Vegas 92-70 *
Phoenix 85-77
Austin 82-80
Dallas 67-95

Pacific Division
Seattle 88-74 *
San Diego 85-77
San Jose 81-81
Sanfrancisco 72-90
Los Angeles 67-95

[JayW UK]

2025 Season Notes

On the eve of the season Washington dealt starting pitcher Benedict Lewis to Sanfrancisco for five prospects, CF Jose Cordova, CF Rodger Cooper, SS Donald Taylor, SS Chet Marshall and top 50 prospect, pitcher Zack Wood. Lewis had struggled throughout spring training prompting the Generals to pull the trigger and send him out west.
April 7th - Atlanta’s Larry De Meza struck out 16 New York Senators, equaling Anthony Barrett’s NABL record.
April 11th - Washington RF Leon Ganzalez helps the Generals overcome Boston 10-7, going 2-3 with two homeruns (one of them a grand slam) and 8 RBI’s.
April 28th - Philadelphia closer Edgar Arrojo blew his first save since June 2023, a stunning 69 consecutive saves, the second longest streak in NABL history behind Stephen Davis (72 saves)
May 3rd - Washington 1B Jason Wilson drew 5 walks against Boston, joining Kevin Jones and Marshall Ayersome as the only the third player to accomplish the feat.
May 6th - Tampa Bay star Gabriel Mendez became the second player to hit 400 homeruns joining teammate and friend Juan Santos.
May 8th - Washington star 1B Jason Wilson suffered a torn ACL forcing him to miss the rest of the season.
May 11th - Washington closer Min-Jae Choi joined Edgar Arrojo as the only two players to save 400 games in their careers. These two were joined later in the season by Stephen Davis (LV) and Richard Bridgewater (HOU)
May 17th - Tampa Bay’s Juan Santos collected hit number 2000 of his career, going 1-for-3 against Washington and helping his team to a 5-2 win.
May 26th - Denver star Luis Sanchez joined Juan Santos on 2000 hits, Gabriel Mendez (TB) and Alejandro Pichardo (NY) reached the milestone later in the season.
June 2nd - Las Vegas starter Max Castle was suspended for eight games for sparking a bench clearing brawl after he hit Sanfrancisco’s 3B Juan Alvarez in the head with a pitch.
June 4th - LF Francisco Martinez was traded by Minneapolis to New Orleans for two minor league infielders, SS Matt Jones and 2B Salvador Marrero. The trade ended his unhappy stay in Minneapolis after only six months.
June 11th - Chicago pitcher Carlos Correa collected his 2000th career strikeout, he was joined in the ever-expanding 2000 K club by A.J Merriweather (OKC) Eric Parker (IND) and Billy Moss (BOS) during the season.
June 14th - Two milestones were reached in the game between Atlanta and Tampa Bay, first Gabriel Mendez collected his 2000th hit before Atlanta’s offense came to the rescue of Vince Little giving him his 200th career win.
June 17th - Washington SS Jose Pineda stole 4 bases against New York, he was caught stealing in the ninth inning trying to set a new NABL record.
June 20th - Las Vegas SS Eduardo Ruiz hit for the cycle, going 4 for 5 and collecting 3 RBI’s in the Gamblers 10-6 win against Oklahoma City.
July 3rd - Houston’s veteran catcher Don Bernard slugged three homeruns plating four, but his heroics still were not enough for Houston to overcome Las Vegas.
July 4th - Dave Eilers pitched a NO-HITTER, striking out 11 while surrendering 5 walks, helping Minneapolis squeeze past Los Angeles 2-0.
July 5th - Cleveland’s Pedro Arevalo single handedly carried his team to victory over Boston, going 4 for 4 with three homeruns and 5 RBI’s in a 6-3 Corsairs win.
July 12th-18th - Dixon Bodean returned from the all-star break with a bang, hitting at least one homerun in six straight games tying the NABL record. He hit a total of eight, including a grand slam during his six-game run.
July 17th - Seattle ace Matt Powell set a new NABL record for strikeouts in a game with 17 over eight innings against San Jose. The Spartans struck out a total of 20 times during the game setting a new NABL team mark for strikeouts.
July 21st - Kansas City shortstop Juan Mendez led the Tornadoes to a thrilling 10-9 extra inning victory, going 4 for 6, including a pair of homeruns while driving in 8 of the teams 10 runs.
July 24th - Struggling Washington backup catcher Chin-Seok Lee was shipped to Sanfrancisco for 35-year-old veteran SS Edgar Garcia and catching prospect Bill Sanders.
August 4th - Carlo Tagros became the second pitcher to hurl a NO-HITTER on the season striking out nine while giving up 2 walks, leading Indianapolis to a 5-0 victory over Atlanta.
August 13th - SS Edgar Garcia became the second Washington player on the season to hit 8 RBI’s, going 3-4 with a double and a grand slam helping Washington to a 12-6 win over Cleveland.
August 17th - Las Vegas star Anthony Barrett finally won game number 200 of his career at the fifth attempt, he had been stuck on 199 for nearly a month.
September 7th - the Las Vegas rotation took a huge hit when Max Castle suffered a shoulder injury, two days later he was placed onto the 60-Day DL ending his season and in one fell swoop the three amigos became two.
September 16th - Seattle’s Matt Powell collected 15 strikeouts against Los Angeles, it was his second 15K game of the season.
September 21st - Tampa Bay star Juan Santos helped himself to 7 RBI’s on three hits, all of them homeruns, the third of which was a walk off score in the 10th inning handing the Hurricanes a 9-8 victory over Chicago.
September 22nd - Sanfrancisco’s Michael Morris became the third pitcher to throw a NO-HITTER on the season, he struck out 8 and allowed a single walk on his way to beating Dallas 8-0.
September 29th - Denver superstar Dixon Bodean collected his 1000th career RBI.
November 1st - New Orleans LF Francisco Martinez announced his retirement, he left the game having played over 1500 time where he amassed over 1500 hits and hit 310 Homeruns. Martinez, who New Orleans traded for during the season, was said to have fallen out of love with the game after some personal issues and at 37 years old decided to retire rather than continue to play poorly.

[JayW UK]

2025 Playoffs

Divisional Round

Chicago would begin their World Series defence against wildcard entry New York while Boston would take on New Orleans. In the west, Denver were looking to reach the World Series for the third consecutive season and would begin their quest against Houston while wildcard team Las Vegas would take on Seattle.
Chicago’s title defence got off to the perfect start with Jose Cuesta hurling a three-hit shutout of New York in game one of the EL Divisional series. New York answered in game two, with catcher Max Johnson taking Chicago starter Justin Babbitt deep in the second inning to give the Senators a lead they would not relinquish, tying the series at one with a 4-2 victory. Game three in New York swung back in favour of Chicago with Jose Munoz, Scott Coleman and Juan Feuntes all hitting homeruns while starter Carlos Correa turned in his best pitching performance of the year, holding the Senators to just three hits and one run in a 6-1 Chicago win. New York came roaring back the following night knocking Jose Cuesta out of the game early and piling on the runs against a series of Chicago relievers, to make matters worse for the Zephyrs Jose Munoz rolled his ankle in the sixth inning and was out of the deciding game five. Two days later back in Chicago, the Senators took the lead in the third inning when Max Johnson hit his second home run of the postseason (also his second against Chicago Starter Justin Babbitt). Chicago hit a two-run homer in the fourth courtesy of Matt Henderson to go ahead only for Babbitt to serve up yet another homerun to Johnson in the sixth. The bullpens took over from there, but a tired Chicago pen couldn’t keep New York off the scoreboard, allowing runs in the seventh and eighth to leave Chicago on the brink of elimination. New York closer Curt Rice struggled through the ninth inning allowing one run to score, but try as they might Chicago couldn’t find a way to score again with Rice eventually enticing Scott Winters to pop out after a mammoth 11-pitch at bat to end the game, sending the Senators on to the EL Pennant series.
Boston started their series against New Orleans in explosive fashion, slamming 5 homeruns including 2 from LF Stephen Thomas and a grand slam from RF Jared Guest on their way to a 14-4 game 1 victory. Game two was closer but the Pilgrims still hit another two homeruns as they ran out 5-3 winners to take a two-game lead. New Orleans were not going to lie down for Boston and in game three they came to play, in front of a sellout crowd pitcher Kenny Law proceeded to shut down the potent Boston offense, restricting them to just four hits through seven innings however the Boston pitching had been excellent too allowing only five hits, unfortunately one of them had been a two-run bomb to Damon Massingham. In the eighth inning the Pilgrim hitters finally got to Law, plating one run and loading the bases with one out, this was the signal for New Orleans to call on closer Kendrick Younger for a five out save. Boston couldn’t gain any traction against Younger as he closed out the game to preserve the win. A Daniel Garcia 3-run Homer was all the run support Javier Rosado needed in game four, as New Orleans tied the series with a 3-0 shutout. The series returned to Boston for the deciding game and the Pilgrims offense came alive, shelling Blues starter Felix Hernandez for eight runs over the first four innings and sending him for an early shower. The Blues bullpen finally put the brakes on the Pilgrims but the game was already over as a contest, Boston ran out easy 9-1 winners and the Blues slipped out of the playoffs with barely a whimper, a disappointing end to promising season.
In the west, Houston went into Denver and behind a quality start from ace Marc Birstall, took down the reigning WL champs in game one. Homeruns from RF Joey Buhler and C Don Bernard were enough with Birstall all but unhittable through eight innings and closer Richard Bridgewater shutting the door on Denver in the ninth. Game two started better for Denver as first Jamie Boden then Dixon Bodean went deep for an early three run lead, Denver starter Pablo Estrada was masterful through the first four innings but left the game with a shoulder injury in the fifth. Denver’s bullpen couldn’t keep a lid on Houston’s offense and the game was all square by the sixth. Denver’s problems grew to titanic proportions over the next three innings as first superstar LF Dixon Bodean pulled up lame with a hamstring injury and was forced to leave the game, then 1B Jamie Boden was hit on the hand by a pitch from Bryant Hooper and also left the game. Houston finally broke Denver’s resistance in the top of the ninth when Dustin Polk scored on a Joey Buhler sacrifice fly before closer Richard Bridgewater again shut the door on the Wildcats with a clean ninth inning. Denver entered game three in Houston with their backs firmly against the wall and missing two of their best players in Dixon Bodean and Jamie Boden. Houston were in no mood to feel sorry for their opponents battering Denver starter Thomas Zimmerman into submission, chasing him from the game having scored six runs on eleven hits. Houston pitcher David Cook went the distance in a dominating Stars win, the only damage was a Raul Escobar homerun in the eighth inning as the Wildcats quest to reach their third consecutive World Series ended in humiliating fashion, swept out of the playoffs at the first hurdle.
Seattle, back in the playoffs for the first time since their World Series win in 2016, took an early lead against Las Vegas star Anthony Barrett and never looked back taking game one 6-3. Las Vegas starter Will Spencer proved to be almost unhittable the following night surrendering just a solo bomb to Stephen Miller and two walks through eight innings before handing over to closer Stephen Davis to protect their slim 2-1 lead. Davis couldn’t get the job done and with two out and men on the corners, lefty Rolando Cerny was called upon to match up with left-handed hitter Bob Williams. The two battled to a full count before Williams hit a line drive into the right field corner, plating the two runners and giving Seattle a thrilling 3-2 walk off win. Game three back in Las Vegas went to the home side, Dave Cahill drew the start for the Gamblers and proceeded to strike out Mariners for fun while Matt Powell struggled for Seattle as the Gamblers cruised to a comfortable 11-2 victory to stay alive in the series. Game four saw Las Vegas ace Anthony Barrett match up with Seattle’s Chris Romero and in a tight pitcher’s duel the Seattle man came out on top as Barrett gave up a pair of homeruns while Romero’s only blip was a solo shot to Las Vegas CF Brian Quinborough. A Gamblers ninth inning rally ended when Seattle closer Chuck Patrick struck out 2B Earl Malone, stranding a pair of runners on base to preserve Seattle’s 3-1 lead and send the Mariners to the WL Pennant series.