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.

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?

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.

Team Tag: Boston Cardinals

by Mike Brouillette

“Dude! Are we rolling yet?” the now bleach-blonde-haired So Cal Republic manager Matt Hunt asks, who's also sporting a puka shells necklace and a tan that must be seen to be believed. Shirtless also.

“Yes, Mr. Hunt, we are rolling,” says the assigned ABL Dugout staff member, the man in charge of ensuring this stays (mostly) on point.

“Awesome, bro.”

“Mr. Hunt, you’ve been chosen today to help us in the ABL ‘Team Tag!’ series which has been designed to help promote the teams within the league. You’ve been chose to help us break down Boston—mainly because you were the Bench Coach for the team last year.”

“Right on,” says Matt.

“Right on.”

Team Tag: So Cal Republic, The Wild Card

by Gary Altman

This mid-year report card is on the So Cal Republic, who sit in fourth place at 38-38 in the highly competitive Bobby Cox Division inside the Roberto Clemente League. The Republic find themselves 11 games behind division leader and powerhouse Seattle but only eight games behind in the Wild Card. Quite frankly, the Republic are the wild card in the wild card race. However, just a quick look at their minor league system tells me that they could have ten players—yup, TEN PLAYERS—that are possibly ABL ready right now. If So Cal can somehow can cut the gap in half by mid-August, don’t be surprised if you see some of the arms now being groomed in Triple-A making a guest appearance in 2013.

Team Tag: South Carolina Bombers

It's a game of tag! Write a Dugout article analyzing another ABL team. The GM of that team then writes an article analyzing yet another ABL team, and so on and so forth. Got the idea? Good!

The South Carolina Bombers are hungry. Their record may be a lackluster 33-44, but with good players returning from injury and young players improving, they feel that they will do better the rest of the way. They are only seven games behind division-leading Maple. Could they be contenders down the stretch?