OzMLBPlayers 2010 ABL All Star Team: Part One - Starting Pitchers

Now that the regular season of the inaugural ABL season has been completed, its time to look back and pick the All Star team. Over the next week or two, I will be picking what I think represents the best team that could be picked across the ABL. Today, we start with pitchers.


Starting pitchers

1. David Welch
From day one of the ABL, it was clear that the Sydney Blue Sox had a particularly strong pitching rotation. The rotation was spearheaded by Chris Oxspring, who was the obvious leader and number one starter. While Oxspring won the early recognition and started the season with a bang (he went 2-0 through the first month, including a seven inning one-hitter against Brisbane ), David Welch quietly put together very solid numbers. He led the league in ERA (1.44) and WHIP (0.93), was second to Oxspring in strikeouts (59 to Oxspring's 71), and had the very solid record of 5-0, which included two complete games. Also quite remarkable is the fact that he walked just nine hitters, which gives him a strikeout-walk ratio of 6.55.

Welch is a good pitcher to watch, he works quickly and throws with plenty of power and aggression, but also works some great offspeed pitches. He had some reasonable success through 2008 and 2009 playing in the Milwaukee Brewers minor league system. In 2010 he played a short AAA season in Mexico, and then moved to a AA Independent League with the Sioux City Explorers.  He had 17 starts with the Explorers, and went 8-6, with a 3.59 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 94 strikeouts and 31 walks. At the age of 27, and playing in an independent league, it is probably unlikely that Welch will find himself on a major league roster any time soon, but if he is able to continue his ABL form into his time in the States this year, he may find some opportunities arise for him.  Until then, he is sure to make a solid contribution for the Blue Sox in the finals series.

2. Chris Oxspring

It would not be understating things to say that Chris Oxspring personifies the success of the inaugural ABL season. He represents all the good things about the League and the opportunities it presents. He is an Aussie who has tasted some success at the major league level, but probably didn't quite make it as far as he would have liked. He is returning from a serious injury, and still has some legitimate potential to pitch at the top level. The League has given him the opportunity to fine tune his arm and get some genuine game time. And on top of all that, taking on the role of pitching coach enabled Oxspring to give back to the game by passing on his knowledge and experience to some of the young Sox pitchers.

Oxspring's overall numbers on the season are not quite as dominant as Welch's, but they are still strong. He went 4-2 for the season, with an ERA of 2.23. He struck out 71 and walked 14. Oxspring appears to have recovered well from his elbow surgery, and has demonstrated very effective command and control throughout the season. Undoubtedly, the opportunities provided through the ABL have enabled Oxspring to showcase his abilities, and with nearly all the MLB teams sending scouts to Australia, doors were opened for Oxspring at the Detroit Tigers.

3. Brandon Maurer
Brandon Maurer is a 20 year old US import from Costa Mesa, CA who once pitched a perfect game in a Little League All Star game. Maurer has played a few seasons in the Seattle Mariners system and has improved his numbers over time. Like a few other MLB clubs, the Mariners chose to send some players to the ABL, and Maurer was sent him to the Adelaide Bite, where he has pitched well. He has pitched in nine games, with a 5-1 record, and an ERA of 3.00, with 51 strikeouts and 12 walks. At the age of just 20, he already clocks more than 90mph on his fastball, and presumably he still has a bit of improving in him. Maurer has been an important asset in the Bite bullpen, and his season concluded with an important shutout win over the Brisbane Bandits last week, in which he allowed just one hit over seven innings, while striking out 8. It will be interesting to see how Maurer develops over the next season, and to see whether he can become a genuine major league prospect.

4. Daniel Schmidt
The Perth Heat have not boasted a particularly strong starting pitching rotation this year, and they have relied on some of their relievers to get the job done. One pitcher who has been consistently good is Daniel Schmidt, who went 6-3 over 10 starts. He struck out 47, while walking 11.

5. Myung-Ho Jin
At first glance, Myung-Ho Jin's numbers do not jump out as an outstanding season. In his nine games for the Canberra Cavalry, he posted a record of 0-2. But, take a deeper look at the numbers, and you see that Jin was a strong pitcher - undoubtedly the weak offense of Canberra did him no favours. Through 31 innings, he held opposing hitters to an average of .189, while compiling an ERA of just 1.74. He struck out 29 hitters and walked 16. Taking a look at his two losses - on 20 November, the Cavalry lost 3-1 to the Aces, and on 9 December he gave up three runs to the Heat in a 7-0 loss. With a little more run support, he could easily have racked up a few more Wins.