Brandon Marklund - 2018-19 Auckland Tuatara

Marklund is a Canadian import who played with the Auckland Tuatara in the 2018-19 ABL season. He had previously been studying and playing at Bryan College in Tennessee. His form must have impressed scouts as he signed a minor league deal with the Kansas City Royals at the end of the ABL season.

2018-19 Auckland Tuatara Brandon Marklund card front - ©2019 Adam East

Connor Panas - 2017-18 Canberra Cavalry

Panas is a Canadian import from the Toronto Blue Jays organisation who played with the Canberra Cavalry during the 2017-18 ABL season, In 2017 he played with the Dunedin Blue Jays, Toronto's advanced A affiliate in the Florida State League. In 2018 he has moved up to the double A level New Hampshire Fisher Cats.

2017-18 Canberra Cavalry Connor Panas card front - ©2018 Adam East

2017-18 Canberra Cavalry Connor Panas card front - ©2018 Adam East

Malik Collymore - 2016-17 Sydney Blue Sox

Collymore is an Canadian import from the Milwaukee Brewers who played for the Sydney Blue Sox during the 2016-17 ABL season. Collymore played for the Brewers Advanced A affiliate, the Brevard County Manatees in 2016 before being released in 2017. Fortunately he was signed  by the Cincinnati Reds and spent  time between their Dayton Dragons and Daytona Tortugas affiliates.

I couldn't resist using the tongue out photo fro an alternate card front.

2016-17 Sydney Blue Sox Malik Collymore card front ©2017 Adam East

2016-17 Sydney Blue Sox Malik Collymore alternate card front - ©2017 Adam East

Andrew Case - 2016-17 Canberra Cavalry

Case is a Canadian import from the Toronto Blue Jays organisation who played with the Canberra Cavalry during the 2016-17 ABL season. He had spent 2016 playing with the Lansing Lugnuts, the Blue Jays' affiliate in the single A level ball Midwest League. There was a bit of background to Case's shift to the Lugnuts, with the promotion coming about after he received a 50 game suspension for missing a drug test earlier in 2016. In 2017 he has rocketed up the ladder, playing Advanced A, Double and Triple A level ball.

2016-17 Canberra Cavalry Andrew Case card front - ©2017 Adam East

Mike Reeves - 2016-17 Canberra Cavalry

Reeves is a Canadian import from the Toronto Blue Jays organisation who played with the Canberra Cavalry during the 2016-17 ABL season. He spent 2016 playing with the Dunedin Blue Jays, Toronto's team in the Advanced A Florida State League. Reeves is currently on the roster of the Canadian team in the World Baseball Classic.

2016-17 Canberra Cavalry Mike Reeves card front - ©2017 Adam East

2016-17 Canberra Cavalry Mike Reeves alternate card front - ©2017 Adam East

Tyson Walker - 2015-16 Canberra Cavalry

Walker is a Canadian import who played for the Canberra Cavalry during the 2015-16 ABL season. He had previously spent 2014 and 2015 playing for Abilene Christian College. In 2016 he played with the London Mets in the British National Baseball League.

2015-16 Canberra Cavalry Tyson Walker card front - ©2016 Adam East

Tyler (TJ) Bennett - 2015-16 Brisbane Bandits

Tyler (AKA TJ) Bennett was an American import who played with the Brisbane Bandits during the 2015-16 ABL season. Bennett had previously spent two seasons playing independent ball, in 2015 spending most of his time with the Schaumburg Boomers in the Frontier League, as well as playing a  single game with the Joplin Blasters in the American Association.

Whilst I liked the photo of Bennett joking around as his primary card image, I couldn't resist including the photo of him wincing as an alternate card image. From memory I think he was baserunning and ended up with some nasty cuts to his hand from the second baseman's cleats. I'm pretty sure he was out of the game after those injuries.(It could also have been the other way around - him fielding and getting spiked by a baserunner, but I'm fairly sure he was the runner.) The image is of the Bandits' staff assessing and cleaning up his wounds.

2015-16 Brisbane Bandits TJ Bennett card front - ©2016 Adam East

2015-16 Brisbane Bandits TJ Bennett alternate card front - ©2016 Adam East

Jay Johnson - 2015-16 Perth Heat

Johnson is a Canadian import who played with the Perth Heat during the 2015-16 ABL season. Johnson had previously spent four years in the Philadelphia Phillies organisation between 2011 and 2014, before spending 2015 playing with Les Capitales de Quebec in the independent Canadian-American Association.

Juggling a single baseball seemed to be the in thing last season ... you'll notice that a number of cards I've done for the 2015-16 all feature players throwing a ball up into the air. Looks like Johnson has joined my list of 2015-16 ball juggling players. :)

2015-16 Perth Heat Jay Johnson card front - ©2016 Adam East

Maxx Tissenbaum - 2015-16 Brisbane Bandits

Tissenbaum started out the 2015-16 ABL season as a Canadian import from the Tampa Bay Rays organisation and ended it as a member of the Miami Marlins organisation. The 2015-16 ABL season was Tissenbaum's second in the ABL with the Rays having sent him Down Under to the Brisbane Bandits in the preceding 2014-15 ABL season as well. Mid-way through the season, Tiseenbaum was selected by the Marlins in the Triple A phase of the Rule 5 Draft.

2015-16 Brisbane Bandits Maxx Tissenbaum card front - ©2016 Adam East

2015-16 Brisbane Bandits Maxx Tissenbaum alternate card front - ©2016 Adam East

Mike McGillivray - 2015-16 Melbourne Aces

Canadian import McGillivray played with the Melbourne Aces during the 2015-16 ABL season. McGillivray had previously been playing club level ball in Melbourne prior to being signed by the Aces as well as semi-pro level ball in the US and Canada (Kitchener Panthers in the Intercounty Baseball League)

2015-16 Melbourne Aces Mike McGillivray card front - ©2016 Adam East

Ben Shorto - 2014-15 Perth Heat

Disappointed I didn't have any better shots of Shorto as he has an interesting story to tell. Shorto is an Aussie who was born in Canada, but who now resides back "home" in Western Australia. He was signed by the Cleveland Indians as a 17 year old, however his initial physical by the club after arriving in the US discovered that he had leukemia.

Following two years of treatment, he played a handful of games for the Perth Heat in 2013-14 as a developmental squad player. He finally managed his first game of affiliated ball in 2014 with the Indians' Rookie level team, although he was then released after that single game. He bounced back, converting over to become a pitcher, adding to his game time with the Heat during the 2014-15 ABL season.

2014-15 Perth Heat Ben Shorto card front - ©2015 Adam East

Kellin Deglan - 2014-15 Melbourne Aces

Deglan is a member of the Texas Rangers organisation who played as a Canadian import with the Melbourne Aces for the 2014-15 ABL season. Deglan has been in the Rangers system since 2010, spending 2014 between the single A and high A affiliates, the Hickory Crawdads and the Myrtle Beach Pelicans. He's started 2015 with the High Desert Mavericks, their high A affiliate in the California League.

2014-15 Melbourne Aces Kellin Deglan card front - ©2015 Adam East

Rene Tosoni - 2014-15 Perth Heat

Canadian born Tosoni is a former MLB player who spent time playing as an import for the Perth Heat during the 2014-15 ABL season. Tosoni played 60 games with the Minnesota Twins in 2011, as well a spending six years in their farm system between 2007 and 2012. He then spent a year in the minors with the Milwaukee Brewers before heading out to the independent leagues. Prior to coming Down Under he spent time in 2014 with both the Sioux City Explorers of the American Association and the Sugar Land Skeeters of the Atlantic League. In 2015 he's returned back to the Sioux City Explorers.

2014-15 Perth Heat Rene Tosoni card front - ©2015 Adam East

William (Will) Thorp - 2014-15 Adelaide Bite

Canadian born Thorp played as an import for the Adelaide Bite during the 2014-15 ABL season. Thorp had previously played for the Lewis-Clark State University in Idaho. He's listed as being at the college between 2012 and 2014, but only appears to have gotten games during his first two years. In 2015 he has signed to play with the Dornbirn Indians in the Austrian Baseball league.

2014-15 Adelaide Bite Will Thorp card front - ©2015 Adam East

2014-15 Adelaide Bite Will Thorp alternate card front - ©2015 Adam East

2014-15 Adelaide Bite Will Thorp alternate card front - ©2015 Adam East

Maxx Tissenbaum - 2014-15 Brisbane Bandits

Tissenbaum is a Canadian import from the Tampa Bay Rays organisation who played with the Brisbane Bandits during the 2014-15 ABL season. Tissenbaum spent 2014 with the Charlotte Stone Crabs in the High A level Florida State League. Check out his blog - Red, White and the 3-0 Green Light - for an interesting read.

2014-15 Brisbane Bandits Maxx Tissenbaum card front - ©2015 Adam East

2014-15 Brisbane Bandits Maxx Tissenbaum alternate card front - ©2015 Adam East

Jaspreet Shergill - 2014-15 Sydney Blue Sox

Canadian import Shergill graduated from Eastern New Mexico University in 2014 and spent some time playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Intercounty baseball League. He made his way over to Australia and Brisbane club level baseball before being picked up by the Brisbane Bandits for the start of the 2014-15 ABL season. I don't know what transpired at the Bandits, but after what was considered a successful start to his ABL career, he ended up on the Sydney Blue Sox roster for the last third of the season.

I happened to grab this photo of him during an extremely long rain delay up in Sydney. It's not the best, but it's something

2014-15 Sydney Blue Sox Jaspreet Shergill card front - ©2015 Adam East

Tim Smith - 2014-15 Perth Heat

Smith is a Canadian import playing with the Perth Heat during the 2014-15 ABL season. Smith previously spent six years playing in the minor leagues, playing with the Rangers, Royals and Braves organisations. He has spent the last two years playing independent ball in the US, spending 2014 with Les Capitales des Quebec in the Canadian-American Association.

2014-15 Perth Heat Tim Smith card front - ©2015 Adam East

Michael Crouse - 2013-14 Canberra Cavalry

Michael Crouse hails from Canada and fittingly plays for the Toronto Blue Jays organisation. He has joined the Canberra Cavalry as an import for the 2013-14 ABL season following a season with the Dunedin Blue Jays in the high A level Florida State League in 2013.

I couldn't decide between the two photos of Crouse - the first photo is a nice player shot, but I love the sneer-like look Crouse has in the second photo.

2013-14 Canberra Cavalry Michael Crouse card front - © 2013 Adam East

2013-14 Canberra Cavalry Michael Crouse alternate card front - © 2013 Adam East

Knecht 4 Redux - Marcus Knecht - 2012-13 Canberra Cavalry

Marcus Knecht was a popular Canadian import from the Toronto Blue Jays organisation who played with the Canberra Cavalry in 2012-13. I'd already produced a card design for Knecht, but it featured him in his number 51 jersey that he wore when he first arrived. I decided that I needed to update his card design to reflect his latter designation and fan designation as "Knecht 4".

2012-13 Canberra Cavalry Marcus Knecht alternate card front - © 2013 Adam East 

Carter Bell - 2012-13 Perth Heat

A Canadian from the Arizona Diamondbacks organisation who played as an import with the Perth Heat during the 2012-13 ABL season. In 2013 Bell is playing with the South Bend Silver Hawks of the A level Midwest League. Bell doesn't look too happy in this shot - from memory I think he'd just struck out and was on his way back to the dug out.

2012-13 Perth Heat Carter Bell card front - © 2013 Adam East