Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Jorge Marban - 2014-15 Perth Heat

Marban is an American import who played with the Perth Heat during the 2014-15 ABL season. Marban had spent two years in the Texas Rangers organisation back in 2010-11 before playing independent ball. In 2014 he suited up for both the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs and Florence Freedom of the independent Atlantic and Frontier League's respectively.

Marban's good ABL form managed to secure him a contract with the Boston Red Sox mid-season, and in 2015 he's worked his way through their High A, Double A and into their Triple A teams.

2014-15 Perth Heat Jorge Marban card front - ©2015 Adam East

Monday, September 28, 2015

Brad Harman - 2014-15 Melbourne Aces

Veteran Aussie MLBer Harman returned for his fourth year with the Melbourne Aces during the 2014-15 ABL season. He is still a mainstay of the lineup, playing in 40 games throughout the season. With the end of season retirement of fellow MLB Alumni Justin Huber, who held the Aces' Designate Hitter spot, it will be interresting to see if Harman continues on in a positional role or if he graduates to the "old timer's" role as DH.

2014-15 Melbourne Aces Brad Harman card front - ©2015 Adam East

Friday, September 25, 2015

Anthony Alford - 2014-15 Canberra Cavalry

Alford is an American import who came over to play from the Toronto Blue Jays organisation with the Canberra Cavalry during the 2014-15 ABL season. There was some media hype around Alford, as he'd apparently been trying to be a two sport athlete in both baseball and American football. In 2014 he played for short periods with the Rookie level Bluefield Blue Jays and Single A level Lansing Lugnuts before deciding to commit to baseball fulltime, and ending up in the ABL. In 2015 he returned to Lansing, before graduating to the the High A level Dunedin Blue Jays.

2014-15 Canberra Cavalry Anthony Alford card front - ©2015 Adam East

2014-15 Canberra Cavalry Anthony Alford alternate card front - ©2015 Adam East

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Ryan Searle - 2014-15 Brisbane Bandits

Searle was released by the Chicago Cubs in 2014 after a stint with the Tennessee Smokies in the Double A level Southern League, an end to seven seasons with the Cubs. He then played with the Grand Prairie Air Hogs in the independent American Association for the remainder of 2014. Searle returned to his hometown Brisbane Bandits for the 2014-15 ABL season, his fifth in his home competition.

In 2015 Searle has commenced playing in Japan with the Ishikawa Million Stars of the independent Baseball Challenge League.

2014-15 Brisbane Bandits Ryan Searle card front - ©2015 Adam East

Monday, September 21, 2015

Angus Roeger - 2014-15 Adelaide Bite

Roeger returned to the Adelaide Bite for the 2014-15 ABL season, his third in the league, and with the Bite. He certainly seemsed to be enjoying his time there based on this shot I got of him with Bite pitching import Colin Feldtman.

2014-15 Adelaide Bite Angus Roeger card front - ©2015 Adam East

Friday, September 18, 2015

David Kandilas - 2014-15 Sydney Blue Sox

The 2014-15 ABL season was Kandilas' fourth in the league (having missed the 2013-14 season), having played eachs eason with the Sydeny Blue Sox. The 2014 northern summer was tumultuous time for Kandilas, playing with each of the Colorado Rockies' High A, Double A and Triple A affiliates before becoming a free agent prior to the ABL season.

In 2015 he has signed with the Niigata Albirex, a team in the Baseball Challenge League, an independent league in Japan.

2014-15 Sydney Blue Sox David Kandilas card front - ©2015 Adam East

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Allan de San Miguel - 2014-15 Perth Heat

The ever photographic De San Miguel returned for his fifth season with the Perth Heat during the 2014-15 ABL season. Having been released by Baltimore and then picked up and relased again by the Colorado Rockies during 2014 Spring Training, "Desan" spent the northern summer playing independent ball. He has however worked his way back to affiliated ball, and is spending 2015 back playing with the Minnesota Twins - the team he was originally signed by back in 2005. He is playing with the Rochester Red Wings, the Twins' Triple A affiliate.

2014-15 Perth Heat Allan De San Miguel card front - ©2015 Adam East

Monday, September 14, 2015

James Darcy - 2014-15 Melbourne Aces

The official ABL website has local Melbourne boy Darcy listed as born in 1999, meaning that he would have been only 15 when playing for the Aces during his debut ABL season with them in 2014-15. Seeing as his bio also has him listed as previously travelling over to the US and playing with the Iowa Western Community College (Nebraska, USA) and Campbell University in North Carolina, I suspect that the ABL bio is wrong. I'm presuming that his birth year should actually be 1992 based on other online research.

Darcy didn't pitch in a lot of games through the season and I had issues identifying who this photo was actually of. I only managed to grab this shot of him in the dugout during a 2 hour rain delay up in Sydney. Thanks to the Aces staff for helping to ID him for me.

2014-15 Melbourne Aces James Darcy card front - ©2015 Adam East

Friday, September 11, 2015

Sam Thornton - 2014-15 Canberra Cavalry

Young Aussie Thornton returned to the Canberra Cavalry for the 2014-15 ABL season, his second in the Aussie competition. Having two photos of Thornton that I couldn't decide between for last year's card design obviously jinxed me so that I didn't get many decent photos of him this season. :)

2014-15 Canberra Cavalry Sam Thornton card front - ©2015 Adam East

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Logan Wade - 2014-15 Brisbane Bandits

Local boy Wade didn't appear to be too excited in my photo of him, but I'm sure he was happy to be back with the Bandits again during the 2014-15 ABL season, his third with the Bandits and in the ABL. In 2014 Wade played with the Minnesota Twins Rookie and Single A level teams. In 2015 he is playing with their High A team, the Fort Myers Miracle in the Florida State League.

2014-15 Brisbane Bandits Logan Wade card front - ©2015 Adam East

Monday, September 7, 2015

Tom Brice - 2014-15 Adelaide Bite

Brice returned to the Adelaide Bite for the 2014-15 ABL season after pratcically two years out of the ABL. Brice moved to Melbourne for work in 2012 and played in a single series for the Bite when they played the Aces in Melbourne during the 2012-13 ABL season. He returned to Adelaide and played local club ball over 2013-14, before approaching the Bite about a possible return in 2014-15. It was certainly a successful return as he played in the majority of the Bites' games and batted .300 across the season.

2014-15 Adelaide Bite Tom Brice card front - ©2015 Adam East

Friday, September 4, 2015

Joshua Strong - 2014-15 Sydney Blue Sox

Strong is a local Sydney player who made his ABL debut with the Sydney Blue Sox during the 2014-15 ABL season. Not a great shot of him but I ddi at least to capture a shot of him during his handful of games with the Blue Sox.

2014-15 Sydney Blue Sox Joshua Strong card front - ©2015 Adam East

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Brian Pointer - 2014-15 Perth Heat

Pointer is an American import from the Philadelphia Phillies organisation who played with the Perth Heat during the 2014-15 ABL season. In 2014 Pointer played for the Clearwater Threshers in the High A level Florida League. In 2015 he has moved up to the double A level Reading Fightin Phils.

2014-15 Perth Heat Brian Pointer card front - ©2015 Adam East