Blog Roundup: 2013 Season

Another season is in the books! Over the course of the 2013 Adult Baseball Season, The Dugout and the league's many team blogs produced over 100 posts (107, by my count). In case you ever feel like looking back, here is an roundup of all the blog posts on the 2013 season.

Around the ABL: World Series!

The Montreal Bandits, winners of the ABL Championship last season, blew away their opponents this season en route to a 105-57 record, best in baseball. The Eureka Hornets surprised the league by going from worst to first and reached the World Series by beating the Maple Marauders in a dramatic, extra-inning seventh game. Now the Hornets look to leave a stinger in the Bandits great season. Will it be two in a row for Montreal? Or will Eureka pull off the upset? It's the Adult Baseball League World Series!

Around the ABL: League Championship Series

Tom Becker and the mighty Montreal Bandits look to repeat as ABL Champions, but standing in their way is Steve Frend and the Seattle Sasquatch. In a rematch of last year's divisional series, the two best offenses in baseball square off. It's the Roberto Clemente League Championship Series!

In the Munson League, the Maple Marauders have power and pitching: they ran away with their division and swept the Boston Cardinals in the divisional series. The Eureka Hornets, who finished in last place in 2012, clinched a playoff berth this season on the last game of the season. The Hornets offense, led by phenom Mike Bergeron, can pile up the runs. Who will emerge victorious in the Thurmon Munson League Championship Series?

Divisional Series: Boston vs. Maple, Game Four

October 5: Maple 4, Boston 1. As in game three, the Cardinals tease their fans with hope, tying the game in the ninth before losing in extra innings.

Vic Jennings

The early innings see base runners aplenty but no scoring as each team wastes numerous opportunities.

Maple breaks through in the fifth when Vic Jennings lines a solo home run to right-center. The homer is the only run allowed by Norm Jackson: he goes seven inning and strikes out eight.

Montreal vs. Carolina

The rest of the series....

Game 3
Montreal doesn't give up a single walk, their Achilles' so far this series. Still, Carolina manages 8 hits and scores 3 runs over nine innings.

It would not be enough as Todd Blanchard would last just 2.1 innings, allowing 6 ER. Blanchard's fly ball tendencies didn't match up well against Montreal. Four of his six hits given up were extra base hits (2 HR and 2 2B). Tom Becker added his third hit in the 2nd, a three-run HR.

Carolina's bullpen would throw shut out ball the rest of the way, but the margin was too great to make up.

Montreal takes the series lead 2-1.

Divisional Series: Boston vs. Maple, Game Three

October 4: Maple 4, Boston 3. The Cardinals get so very close, but they can't quite capture the magic. The Marauders use speed and small ball to win game three and put themselves only one game from the Munson League Championship Series.

With Maple ahead by one run in the bottom of the ninth, Cardinal Jorge Esparza doubles in Javier Ramón, tying the game. A pair of walks later, with the bases loaded and one out, Will Bauer comes to the plate.

Running Diaries: New York vs. Seattle, Game Two

by Mike Brouillette

Bob Lee (NEW, Reg Season: 12-9 4.30) vs Roberto 'Jumbo' González (SEA, Reg Season: 9-7, 4.86)

Attendance: 49,963

Seattle needed a win to basically stay alive in this series. Nothing is ever promised, but to be down 2-0 to a good New York team may have been too much to overcome for this current Seattle team.

Seattle decided to make its fans not have to wait very long, as Seattle did what Seattle does best. Make all the ladies feel funny in their happy places, with a rout of New York, putting the game away after six innings. It really wasn't even that close. Frend thought he'd make it interesting when he got ejected for arguing balls and strikes in the 2nd inning. Cromawn Faherty came in (.346/.412/.471 in 47 games during regular season) and went 1-2 with a walk, playing great defense as well.

Mile High 2013 Review

It was a disappointing season for Mile High. After a respectable 82-80 campaign (not bad for my first ever OOTP season of any kind), it seemed like everything was pointing up. With a stellar defense, good starting pitching and a top tier bullpen, I felt we just needed some better hitting to score a few more runs.

Tommy Harris

The outfield was overhauled to address this lack. Enter $14 million left field slugger Tommy Harris, $5 million right field Roberto Mendoza and, to help out with DH duties, $2 million Dave Hester. Only speedy defensive stud Eric "Flash" Black remained from the 2012 crew. Fans loved the moves of bring in Tommy Harris and inking staff ace Manuel Ruíz to a long term deal. Interest was at an all time high, but that interest along with the owners mood slowly deteriorated as the weeks progressed.

Divisional Series: Montreal vs. Carolina, Game Two

With Game 1 decided by a dominant performance from Montreal's Raúl Pérez and an error by the Crush's relief pitcher Agguire. This game, the margin for victory would be just as slim, if not moreso. This one would feature Montreal's midseason acquisition Bob Rudyard (2.20 ERA on the season) against the Crush's Ángel Galindo (2.95 ERA).

Justin Wallace

The Crush came out like a team desperate, center fielder Justin Wallace launching an 0-2 pitch out of the park for an early 1 run lead. Rudyard got the next two outs and loaded the bases, but got out of the jam by striking out third baseman Greg Gordon.

Divisional Series: Montreal vs. Carolina, Game One

Congratulations to Carolina. As a reward for winning 91 games, you get to face a team that 105 games this season in the Roberto Clemente League and has the most wins in the ABL.

Odds against the Crush are long. The Bandits were the top hitting team in the RCL and were a top three team in most pitching categories. Against that, Carolina has the best bullpen and maybe the best defense. While their starting pitching is solid, it probably isn't as good as the Bandits and the Crush's hitting is well into the bottom half of the RCL. In terms of run differential for the season, Montreal is +332 runs while Carolina is +22.

Of course, none of that matters as we're down to a single series, and two games have been played.

Divisional Series: Boston vs. Maple, Games One & Two

It's the Commissioners Series II, and this time it's personal! One year ago, the Boston Cardinals—blessed by the heroic hitting of young Jasper Williams—defeated the Maple Marauders in seven games. This year, the Marauders seek revenge. It's the Cross vs. the Skull & Crossbones! Good vs. Evil! Gray Ulery vs. Jason Goldberg! The United States vs. Canada! A battle of two best pitching staffs in the Munson League! It's the Thurman Munson Divisional Series!

Running Diaries: New York vs. Seattle, Game One

by Mike Brouillette

Javier Flores (NEW) vs Kent Rose (SEA)
Attendance: 49,876

The game stated off with Kent Rose and Javier Flores doing what they do best: retiring the first set of batters each of them faced through the first two innings, which sent us into the third frame with the two teams tied at 0-0.

Then the game got interesting ... for one team.

Team Tag: Las Vegas

I chose to tag Las Vegas because they are the team in the Thurmon Munson League that mirrored my own team's rise and fall over the last two seasons. (A team after my own heart, if you will, with very similar concerns and struggles.)

In 2012 the Jokers finished first in their division with a 94-68. They wrapped up this season at 76-83.

There was no clear reason that they shouldn't have been competitive this season as well, in fact making a big move in obtaining the services of Bob Rudyard in exchange for a couple of minor league prospects. If anything, most would have assumed that the addition of Rudyard would have made them the dominant favorite to represent the TML in the ABL World Series.

2013 Division Series: Toreros vs Hornets

Thurman Munson League Showdown

                                                             

93-66 with Dan Smith and his 130 RBI's

vs.

                                      

85-74 and Eureka's Mike Bergeron with his 40 HR's

Final results posted ...

Around the ABL: September 27-September 29

September 27: So Cal 2, Montgomery 12. The Cats blow out the Republic, scoring 11 runs in the first inning. They score the old-fashioned way, hitting it where they ain't. They pepper Republic pitching for nine singles and a double. The inning proceeds: Curt Dempsey singles, single (runner advancing to third), sac fly (1), single, single (2), single (3), hit by pitch, strike out, walk (4), Dempsey singles in two runs (5 and 6), single (7), double (8), single (9 and 10), single (11), strike out.

Davey Holmes

September 28: Cabo San Lucas 1, Georgia 0. Ghost Buster Davey Holmes (19-10) pitches 10 shutout innings ... but he ends up with the loss! Holmes comes out to pitch the 11th, but Dave Carlisle doubles, moves to third on Maurice Knight's single, and scores on Carlos Martínez's sac fly. Gregory Erwin (8-6) strikes out five in two innings of work to get the win.

Around the ABL: September 20-September 26

Alfredo Yánez

September 20: Carolina 10, So Cal 11. The Crush dash out to a 4-0 lead, but Bill Smith's grand slam knots the game back up. Carolina re-takes the lead—Jeremy Gleave hits a home run, and Francisco Solano triples and scores—but So Cal takes it right back: Smith singles in a run, Alfredo Yánez hits a solo home run to tie it, and a Wilson Anaya sac fly gives the Republic the lead, 7-6. Yánez extends the lead with a second home run—a three-run blast in the seventh. The Crush tie it back up, 10-10: in the eighth, Justin Wallace triples with the bases loaded, and Greg Beard singles in Wallace. Finally, in the bottom of the eighth, Freddy Castillo doubles in Charles McConnell, and the Republic defeat their division rivals.

September 20: San Francisco 1, Jersey 0. Conor Nodder (4-14) and Tom Owens pitch dueling shutouts for seven innings. In the top of the eighth, Doctor Watson homers off of reliever Javíer González.

Around the ABL: September 6-September 19

Stephen Jackson

September 6: Montgomery 0, South Carolina 2. Montgomery's Marc Murphy pitches a shutout, striking out seven and surrendering three hits, all singles. Unfortunately, Jeremy Rogers and four Bombers relievers match him, also allowing only three hits over nine shutout innings. The 10th inning comes and goes without any runs. So does the 11th. In the 12th, the Bombers manage to get a runner into scoring position for the first time all game, but Francisco Alfonso strikes out with Stephen Jackson on third. The 13th is scoreless. Finally, in the bottom of the 14th, Action Jackson comes to the plate with a man on. He hits a 2-2 pitch to deep into the right-field bleachers—a walk-off home run and the only runs in the game.

Joe Fuller

September 6: Washington 0, Jacksonville 1. Joe Fuller (7-8) allows a second-inning single to Ron Hamm then retires the next 15 batters. He ends up allowing only the one hit and two walks over 7 2/3 innings of work. Nick Parks scores the game's only run.

Around the ABL: August 23-September 5

Brooks Davis

August 23: Ann Arbor 2, Seattle 1. Brooks Davis wins the game with his legs. In the sixth, he singles, steals second base and advances to third on a throwing error, and scores on a Stu Barnes single. In the 10th, Davis walks, steals second, and scores the winning run on a Tommy Shaffer single. Davis, a first baseman of only 23, is having a strong season, hitting 19 home runs to go with his 25 stolen bases.

August 24: South Carolina 8, Cabo San Lucas 3. The Bombers, trailing 3-0, erupt for eight runs in the eighth. Francisco Alfonso doubles in the tying and leading runs, and Mario Antonio, in his second at-bat of the inning, hits a three-run homer.

Johnny Graham

August 24: Las Vegas 6, Jersey 15. The Jesters don't just beat Maurice Gould, they destroy him, scoring seven off the Joker ace and kick him out in the third inning. Johnny Graham hits a grand slam off of Gould. Graham later tacks on a three-run homer. Stan Cheslin hits a three-run homer of his own.

Team Tag: Minnesota Berserkers

One season ago, the Minnesota Berserkers achieved the best record in the Clemente League, 101-61. No other team in the league had their combination of bats and arms and gloves. Their offense, led by young superstar Peter Blanchard, scored more runs than any other team in baseball, besides Seattle. Their pitching, deep with quality starters, ranked third in the league, trailing only Dallas and New York. Their defense, with a +31.3 zone rating, ranked second in the league behind Nottinghamshire.

Replicating such success is difficult. Minnesota knew that it would be a challenge to repeat as the league's best regular-season team. They knew that division-rival Montreal—the team that finished second to Minnesota in the La Russa Division but won the World Series—would be a strong competitor. The Berserkers had no illusions, but they knew that they had a strong core and felt confident that they could make adjustments as the season went along.

Nobody anticipated Minnesota to be just another mediocre team, but here they are, middle of September, sitting 26 games back of Montreal with a 71-81 record. What went wrong? And, more interestingly, where will Minnesota go from here?

Tommy Lasorda Drama

I was going to due this earlier, but got tied up.  As you are aware the Lasorda Division is the tightest in the ABL.  Three weeks after the last post the situation is still similar.  New York leads Nottinghamshire and Dallas by just 4 games, while Ann Arbor is 8 out.  But Ann Arbor has proven to still be in the hunt.

Right after the last post Ann Arbor won 13 straight games, 11 straight on the road.  This actually pulled them back into the race.  Unfortunately, they went home and lost 6 straight.  Back on the road and they are on a 4 game winning streak again.  Had they just split at home they would only be 5 back,  The significance is because they have the more matches left against New York, with 6, than any other division opponent, so in essence, they control their own destiny, if they can inch a bit closer.

There are 21 games left.  Dallas will have the hardest task because they play 16 of the 21 games on the road.  On the flip side New York, with a .600 winning percentage at home, will play 13 of the 21 at home, including the critical four game set with Nottinghamshire.

So give that New York starts with a 4 game lead and given that they will have more home games than anyone else, it appears to be a difficult challenge for the rest of the division to catch the Mafia.  Still I know the GMs at Ann Arbor, Dallas and Nottinghamshire are conceding nothing at the moment. 

Game On.

Around the ABL: August 16-August 22

Tom Owens

August 16: Jersey 2, Eureka 1. It's youth vs. age! Jersey's Tom Owns (2-2) is 20-year-old rookie making his seventh major league start. Eureka's Jeff Williams (1-1) is a 38-year-old veteran. He went 13-13 with the Quakes last season, was claimed off waivers by Eureka in the off-season, and spent most of 2013 injured—in fact, this marks just his third start of the year. This odd couple pitch dueling shutouts for seven innings. In the eighth, the Jesters finally get to Williams: Bill Flynn doubles in Luis Castro for the game's first run. Stan Cheslin adds a solo home run in the ninth. Owens, meanwhile, pitches eight shutout innings.

August 16: Jacksonville 3, San Francisco 0. Edgar McNeal (2-3) and three relievers combine to shutout the Quakes. McNeal goes 7 1/3 innings, striking out four without walking a batter. The Jacks score a run in the first on a bases-loaded walk, then tack on two in the ninth when Joe MacKnight homers.

A Young Arm to Watch

Toyotomi Nagano

He's from Wakayama, Japan and is just 19 years old but already he is leading the Single-A League in wins with 16 (tied) against 9 losses. Toyotomi has logged 185 innings and checks in with a 1.33 WHIP. The second-round pick of the Ann Arbor Barn Owls, he's pitched for the Dearborn Pioneers all season. He checks in with a fastball and a deadly screwball that has allowed him to fan 159 while walking just 81.

A round 2 pick and 38th overall, he's been a steady influence on the other pitchers on the Dearborn staff even though he speaks very little English. Some of his favorite stops in the Dearborn area (a large suburb outside of the Motor City) are the Greenfield Village, Levagood Park for recreational baseball (he says it relaxes him to see the kids play), and he often dines at his favorite deli in Ann Arbor, Zingerman's. Through an interpreter he expressed his delight with the world class New York Deli style sandwiches, "They are huge! And, the ingredients are the best."

In June Toyotomi won the AHL Pitcher of the Month Award. "I was very proud to be selected this year and will do my best to keep pitching winning baseball for Dearborn.  But, someday my dream is to play for Ann Arbor and eat sandwiches at Zingerman's whenever we are not on the road."

Around the ABL: August 9-August 15

Francisco
Concepción

August 10: Montgomery 7, Seattle 5. With the Cats leading, 4-0, Sasquatch Tim Duncan hits a solo home run in the fifth, then hits a three-run home run in the seventh. The game remains tied until the 12th when Montgomery's Francisco Concepción hits a three-run homer. Seattle tries to rally in the bottom half of the inning: they score one, but Charles O'Connor gets potential tying run Steve Frend to ground to second for the last out.

August 11: Kansas City 10, Las Vegas 11. The Tornadoes and Jokers trade punches. Jesús Cruz goes 3-for-5 with his 30th double of the year. (Too bad he had 148 at-bats last season, 18 fewer at-bats and he would qualify for Rookie of Year. With a .332 batting average, 26 home runs, and 86 RBIs, he would certainly be a favorite.) Joker Phillip Smith goes 4-for-5, scoring three, and driving in four. With the game tied, 10-10, in the bottom of the ninth and the bases loaded, Ray Stevens singles in the winning run.

Two Keys to the Lasorda Division

The tightest division in the ABL has proven to be the Tommy Lasorda Division. Last season Dallas, New York and Ann Arbor battled to the wire for one playoff spot, which Dallas won. This year all four teams are in the hunt as Nottinghamshire has surprised by hanging in all season (they have already won 9 more games than the "experts" predicted).

The tightness within the division is best represented by Ann Arbor's performance this past week. They swept first place New York in a 4-match set and followed that up getting swept for three games by 2nd place Nottinghamshire.

With six seeks remaining, New York sets the pace with a 4 game lead over Nottinghamshire, 6 games over Dallas and 10 over Ann Arbor. But before crowning New York or writing off Ann Arbor, a look at the remaining schedule may help.

Around the ABL: August 2-August 8

Jorge Mora

August 2: New York 10, Nottinghamshire 8. Jorge Mora is at it again. Two days after his dramatic walk-off grand slam against Dallas, Mora hits a pair of dramatic home runs against Nottinghamshire. The Outlaws take a four-run lead into the ninth, but Mafioso Herman Campbell doubles in two runs, and Mora hits a two-run homer, tying the game at eight runs apiece. In the 11th, with one man on, Mora homers again, and the Mafia come back to defeat their division rivals.

August 2: Jacksonville 2, Boston 1. Much of the Cardinals offense may be on the DL, but they're still dangerous. John Ritter (9-9) holds them back, throwing 7 1/3 innings and allowing only one run. Dennis Woods, who's having a nice bounce-back season, homers in the third. In the fifth, catcher Nick Parks triples and scores what proves to be the winning run. Norm Jackson (6-9) pitches well, giving up only two runs in seven innings, but gets loss.

Single A Profile: David Wall

David Wall

David Wall did not garner much attention in Single A ball last year as he was your prototypical average player that just blended in with everyone else. Not a lot of motivation, never known for a high work ethic, he completed his first season batting .247 with 14 homers. Wall struck out about twice as much as he walked.  In all he had a very modest OPS of .718.

2013 has been a very different type of year for the 20 year old as his off-season regime of strength exercise, yoga, and racquetball has somehow helped the youngster to separate himself from the pack. David is batting .314 and has amassed an eye opening .926 OPS, so far. He has 51 walks and 61 K's which has upped his OBP to .411. This new energy has carried over to the field where he has not committed an error and has gunned down 5 base runners from right field. David Wall, of the Bel Air Princes is a name to remember and someone you may be reading about on the Seattle roster some day. And, by the way, the Princes are currently playing .730 ball with an 84-31 record.

Around the ABL: July 26-August 1

Adam Thomas

July 26: Boston 4, Minnesota 0. With Norm Jackson continuing to struggle, Adam Thomas (12-4) has had to step up for the Cardinals. Tonight he holds the Berserkers silent for seven innings, striking out eight while walking one. Alex Austin homers and drives in two.

Rodney
Armstrong

July 26: Kansas City 9, Ann Arbor 0. Rodney Armstrong (5-7) shuts down Z-Rod and the Barn Owl bats, striking out nine over 8 2/3 innings of work. It was a real confidence-booster for Armstrong, who got shelled in his past two starts. Jesús Cruz knocks in three, and Ricardo Marquis hits a two-run homer.

Around the ABL: July 12-July 25

July 12: Washington 1, Las Vegas 8. Over eight innings of work, Maurice Gould (14-2) strikes out 14 and gives up only one run. Vic Jennings hits two home runs, including a grand slam.

July 12: New York 9, Jersey 10. The Mafia look to have the game in hand, but, in the bottom of the ninth, John Woodard ties the game with a two-out three-run homer. In the 10th, Johnny Graham doubles in Bobby McClughan for the win.

Charlie Jackson

July 13: San Diego 6, Kansas City 5. With the Tornadoes leading, 5-4, and two outs in the top of the ninth, Dorian Knight singles and Charlie Jackson homers down the opposite-field line. Kansas City loads the bases in the bottom of the ninth, but Ricardo Marquis flies to center to end the game.

Around the ABL: June 24-July 7

Scott Andrews

June 24: Montreal 7, Carolina 11. In a possible playoff preview, the Crush out-slug the Bandits. Scott Andrews leads the Carolina hitters, going 4-for-5 with a grand slam.

Jim Thompson

June 24: Ann Arbor 7, Washington 0. Jim Thompson (6-7) strikes out 10 over 8 1/3 shutout innings of work, walking none while allowing five hits. Roberto Guzmán and Ki-moon Pak homer for the Barn Owls.

June 25: San Diego 3, Montgomery 5. Welsh has a flair for the dramatic this season. One month ago, he hit for the cycle. With the Cats trailing the Hops, 3-1, Victor Welsh comes to the plate with two outs in the bottom of the ninth and the bases full. Welsh hits a walk-off grand slam.

Around the ABL: June 10-June 23

June 10: Jacksonville 4, Washington 0. Pat Heard (3-7) tosses eight shutout innings, scattering eight hits and two walks while striking out two.

Doug Smith

June 10: Seattle 8, Maple 9. Steve Frend hits a pair of two-run home runs, and Seattle takes an 8-5 lead into the ninth. The Marauders load the bases and, with two outs and an 0-2 count, Doug Smith hits a bases-clearing double to tie it. Smith then scores the winning run when Don Strickland lines a hit to right-center.

June 10: Montreal 1, Cabo San Lucas 6. Wilfred Brooks (9-1) out-pitches Raul Pérez (6-3). Brooks pitches a complete game and allows only one run, a home run to Jordan Borlase. Torero Keiran Simmons hits his 10th home run of the season, and Víctor Ramírez goes 3-for-5 and drives in a pair.

Around the ABL: May 27-June 9

Pat Everhart

May 28: Georgia 1, So Cal 0. Pat Everhart (3-7) has been pitching well this season (his ERA is 3.70), but he's had precious little run support this season. Tonight he gets only one run to work with, but Everhart makes that run count. He dominates the Republic, tossing eight shutout innings and allowing two hits while striking out eight.

May 28: San Francisco 10, New York 0. The Quakes score their first run when, on the game's third pitch, shortstop Bill Conway singles in Doctor Watson. Meanwhile, The Mafia hitmen see 154 pitches but can't score a run. Pete Barrett (3-3) only strikes out two over 6 2/3 scoreless innings, but his splitter gets plenty of ground outs.

Team Tag: Georgia Ghost Busters

by Gray Ulery

1-2 Punch

Evan Warner

Evan Warner and King Crawford are the 2012 pair of aces that many teams dreamed of having and feared facing. Unfortunately, it's 2013 and the former Rookie of the Year and aging superstar aren't quite as intimidating. Warner, still a steal at $510 thousand per season, is pitching well (2.96 ERA, 1.00 WHIP), but a lack of run support leaves him with a record that is barely over .500.

King Crawford

Crawford, on the other hand, appears to have lost a little juice. His K/BB has dropped from 6.07 in 2012 to 2.26 in 2013, and he's given up 15 home runs in 19 starts this year as opposed to 17 in 31 starts last season. If he was on my team, I'd be even more scared about his BABIP, which clocks in at .259. When the ball is in play, he's getting good defensive help or good bounces. If that luck evens out and climbs closer to the league average, look for his ERA and W/L record to take a big hit. Considering that they are already 4.23 and 3-10, that could be fatal for the Ghostbusters as they finish out 2013.