Bullpen
1. Dae-Sung Koo
I felt a little cynical back on Opening Day of the inaugural ABL season. The Blue Sox and the Cavalry ground out a real pitcher's duel, before the Blue Sox took a 1-0 lead in the eigth inning courtesy of hits to Tim Auty and Mitch Dening. The Blue Sox pitching had been 'lights out' all night. Between them, Chris Oxspring, David Welch, and Wayne Lundgren had retired eleven hitters in a row. Once the Sox took the 1-0 lead, Matt Williams came in to wind things up, and promptly retired the first two Cavalry hitters. One hitter left to go, and out trots Koo to finish things off. At the time, with a noticeable Korean media presence, I thought this was nothing more than a PR stunt. Nevertheles, Koo stepped out and made history, earning the first save of the ABL by striking out Nick Kimpton.
After this relatively simple appearance, one might have expected Koo would looking to wind down his career. But that seemed to be the furthest thing from his mind. As the season wore on, he became an absolute juggernaut for the Blue Sox.
Koo led the league in saves, with 12. Daylight was second. A whole bunch of others sat in third place with three.
He put together a record of 2-1 in the regular season, striking out 30 hitters over 27 innings, while issuing only 8 walks. And, he showed himself to be a complete iron man. Multi-inning appearances were regular, and on 22 January he pitched in both games of the season-ending double-header against Canberra; after a significant rain delay in the second game. He has a no fuss, no waste approach to the game, and was one of the most consistent and reliable performers in the league.
While Koo didn't get much opportunity to shine in the post season, he cemented his place as a legend of the first ABL season with a 6.2 inning relief performance in the epic 15-inning showdown between the Bite and the Blue Sox. While he ultimately took the loss in that performance - the fact that he was prepared, and able, to get through so much work, at this stage of the season, in such a critical game for the Blue Sox, is nothing short of outstanding.
For these reasons, Koo would be the first man picked in the ABL All Star team.
2. Brendan Wise
Perth local Brendan Wise had a pretty decent year in the 2010 minor league season. He spent time at both AA and AAA levels in the Detroit Tigers organisation, and has earned himself an invitation to Spring Training with the Tigers. He only made a handful of appearances for the Heat through the ABL season, but he was very effective.
Wise appeared in four regular season games through January 2011, and picked up three saves. While he did walk four hitters, he did not give up a hit, and struck out two. Further to this, he made two very important appearances in the first week of the finals series against the Blue Sox. He pitched in both games, going 1.2 innings, one hit, one walk, and picking up one save. He will be looking for a big 2011.
3. Chris Mowday
Big Brisbane righty Chris Mowday first drew my attention in late November, when he dominated against the Blue Sox. He has racked up a lot of experience in the minor leagues, and has played recently in the Netherlands.
In one outing, Mowday retired 14 of the 15 Blue Sox hitters that he faced. All he gave up was a walk to David Kandilas. At the time, in five games against the Blue Sox, Mowday had pitched 7.1 innings, allowing 5 hits and 0 runs.
He continued his strength throughout the season. In the end he finished up with 20 appearances, a 6-3 record, and one save. He struck out 26 over 42 innings, and compiled an impressive ERA of 2.74.
4. Adam Bright
One of the brighter spots on the Aces season, was the performance of Adam Bright - one of the few Melbourne pitchers able to put together some consistent performances. Bright made 14 appearances, for a record of 2-3, with two saves. He struck out 27 over 26 innings, and drew the attention of Japanese scouts - being rewarded with an opportunity at the Yomiuri Giants.
5. Ben Grice
Ben Grice is a tall right hander with a long sidearm delivery, who has quietly racked up some very solid numbers for the Heat this year.Grice has been almost perfect this season, allowing just one run in his twelve appearances. He threw 17.2 innings, giving up just 12 hits and 5 walks, while striking out 16. His ERA of 0.51 leads the League for relievers who made 10 or more appearances.
6. Phil Stockman
Like Ben Grice, Phil Stockman is a big right hander. Unlike Grice, Stockman has significant minor league and major league experience. Apart from one bad outing against the Aces on 21 December, Stockman didn't give up a run all season. He made ten appearances, striking out 15 over 14.2 innings, and giving up just three hits and four runs. His control was an issue, as he walked fifteen, but he was still able to put up noughts in nine out of ten games.
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