On the Fringes - A Look at Some Budding Young Bandits (Part 1)

One of the primary themes of my past couple of blogs has been the departure of the Bandits' five Japanese players. Besides appearances at Wednesday's All-Star game, these players will take no further part in the ABL season, as they return home to prepare for their own incoming season. Rather than dwelling further on this loss, an excellent comment on my last blog suggested I take a look at some of the locals that will be stepping into the newly created vacancies on the roster. Afterall, providing opportunities for exciting local talent is one of the key purposes of the ABL - so with that said, let's take a look at some of the budding young Bandits - those on the fringe hoping to cement themselves on the team.

At catcher, the fresh-faced Mitch Nilsson (20) and Ryan Battaglia (19) can both be expected to see more gametime (alongside Joel Naughton). Interestingly, both Mitch and Ryan have been signed by the Cleveland Indians organization. This season Mitch played for the rookie-league AZL Indians, located in Arizona, where he put in some strong performances. In 21 games, he recorded an average of 0.358 with an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 0.926. Generally, an OPS statistic over 0.900 is considered excellent. Meanwhile, Ryan also spent time with the AZL Indians as well as with the fantastically named Short-Season A team the Mahoning Valley Scrappers. Battalglia had only limited time at the plate (just 8 at-bats), drawing 2 walks but without registering a hit.

His time in the Greater Brisbane League (Major League A Grade) this season has been more eventful. In ten appearances for the Windsor Royals, he's hit 0.342 including five doubles and three home runs (his line is 0.342 / 0.468 / 0.711). This ranks him 7th in the league in slugging percentage (Bandits regulars Sutherland and Brad Dutton are in front of him) and in the top twenty in both on-base percentage and batting average. Mitch Nilsson, playing for the Pine Hills Lightning, has appeared in only four games - likely due to commitments with the Bandits - and is yet unleash his American minor-league form upon the league (averaging 0.125).

For the Brisbane Bandits, Ryan has appeared in 14 games (just 2 this season) and Mitch in 33 (but again, just 6 this season). With Yamashita showing impressive batting form for the Bandits this season, neither have really had a chance to get going in the 2011/12 ABL season - Mitch is hitting 0.158 and Ryan is yet to record a hit. They are both undoubtedly young men with a lot of potential, so it should be very interesting to see if they can heat up with more time at (and behind) the plate.

In the infield, both Alan Schoenberger (22) and Daniel Lamb-Hunt (24) will likely see game time. In seven appearances for the Windsor Royals, Alan has been hitting the ball well (0.304 / 0.467 / 0.478). While he hasn't shown much power, his patience at the plate has been good - and this is something the Bandits definitely need more of at the moment. Meanwhile, Daniel Lamb-Hunt has also been solid in twelve games for the Redland Rays (Pacific League), where he has shown more power but less patience (0.298 / 0.377 / 0.553).

 

Both Alan and Daniel also have international baseball experience. Alan is part of the Philidelphia Phillies system, and has so far worked his way up from the rookie leagues to high-A level (A+) team the Clearwater Threshers (a total of five seasons in the minor leagues). His form this year for the Threshers (and A level team the Lakewood Blue Claws) was patchy (0.190 / 0.251 / 0.278 overall) but he has shown a high level of versatility in the field - spending significant game time at 2B, 3B, and SS. Daniel, the first New Zealander to play in the ABL, was signed by the Atlanta Braves organisation but was released without appearing in their minor league system. Instead, he's spent quality time in the German Baseball Bundisliga playing for the Pulheim Gophers. Last year he was the Gophers standout player by a sizeable margin - hitting 0.440 / 0.542 / 0.736 in 28 games (including 7 dingers). I'm not too knowledgeable regarding the quality of the league (though the German International Team did place 3rd in the most recent European Baseball Championship), but as a point of comparison the team batting average was 0.240 - highlighting just how significant Daniel's contribution was. He spent the majority of his time at 3B, but he also made brief appearances at SS and 2B.

For the Bandits, Alan has made 31 appearances (none this season) while Daniel has made 13 appearances (only 2 this season). Of the two, Alan has so far faired the best (his batting average was 0.250 last season) but neither has yet set the ABL on fire. With the departure of our Japanese players, the shortstop position has been left wide open - creating a big opportunity for both players. With Alan having played the most shortstop of the two (and being a frequent starter last season), I think it's reasonably safe to assume he'll return to the lineup for the series against Canberra. Daniel will likely be utilised as a utility infielder, a role which should also see him receive more playing time.

I'll leave it here for now, but stay tuned for Part 2 - where I look at some more bright young talents vying to gain or solidify places on the Bandits roster.