SABL
Dec 23 - Dec 29
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Braves are the 2024 SABL Champions

Setting the Table in SABL


Everybody loves home runs - we covered the SABL’s biggest bombers two weeks ago - but, without base runners, every ball that cleared the fences would be nothing more than a solo shot. This week, we honour the offensive players who specialize in getting on base and scoring runs. These players work counts, grind out at-bats, and do anything possible to prevent themselves from making an out so that the hitters behind them in the lineup can rack up the runs batted in. The table setters of the SABL have become particularly important since the introduction of wood bats; the league has become more small ball-oriented than ever before.

With that, here are the best table setters in the league, as ranked by the SABL Gazette:


The all-time league leader in runs scored with 192, Royals shortstop/catcher Konrad Szczepanik is the prototypical baseball pest, constantly getting under the skin of his opponents -not to mention umpires - like any true top-of-the-order hitter should. Szczepanik is among the SABL’s elite with a career OBP of .527 to go along with a stellar batting average of .379. On a team that made the finals for seven consecutive years, many consider Szczepanik to be the engine - if not the heart - of the Royals. Despite pedestrian speed, Szczepanik has still managed to steal a whopping 76 bases with a success rate of over 80 percent. If you want your team to score runs, put a player like Szczepanik near the top of your batting order and the rest will take care of itself.

2. Anthony Warren, Giants

When it comes to getting hits, nobody in the SABL can compare to Anthony Warren. The Giants’ centre fielder/pitcher is practically in a league of his own, posting batting averages of .535, a preposterous .717, .531, .590, and .563 from 2010-2014. To put it simply, Warren has been putting up video game numbers in the SABL, and he has the setting on easy. His career batting average is 150 points higher than his closest competitor. Since the dawn of the SABL website era, Warren has stolen an astonishing 167 bases while only being caught three times. If this were a list of best hitters in SABL, Warren would likely be at the top, but his middle-of-order power and relatively low number of runs scored (107) puts him at number two on this list of table setters.

3. Steve Hersch, Jays

With an almost unfathomable 41 runs scored in 2014 (the second-highest total in league history after Jason Andrews’ 44 in 2013), Steve Hersch combines speed - 28 stolen bases in 2014 - with on-base ability. With four home runs last season, he also adds power to the equation. As one of the key players on the Jays, Hersch puts his .354 career batting and stellar defence in centre field on display every week for one of the SABL’s upper echelon teams.

4. James Wood, Royals

A relative newcomer to the SABL (Wood became a Royals regular in 2012), “Woody” has become one of the best leadoff hitters in the entire league by duck snorting his way to excellence. This season, the Royals right fielder has put up a .444 batting average to go with 24 runs scored (second in the league) and 18 stolen bases (against only one caught stealing). Impressively, Wood has become the catalyst for the Royals offence, bringing speed and relative youth to the team’s aging core of players.


Despite a middling .263 career batting average, Brandon Marini combines a small strike zone and great plate discipline to make himself a constant threat to get on base. A selective baserunner, Marini has 60 career stolen bases while only being caught four times. He is the all-time league leader in bases on balls with 128, and, more importantly, has scored 149 runs, good for fifth all-time in the SABL. Amazingly, Marini’s career on-base percentage (.452) is nearly .200 points higher than his batting average. Simply put, Marini is a tough out.

- The SABL Gazette -

Posted by Phil Hiemstra - Tuesday Aug 4, 3:57 PM
Gemmellition Man: A Grocer Is Mowing Down SABL Hitters Like No Other


If you play in the SABL, chances are great that you’ve faced Dave Gemmell many times. With 425.2 innings pitched in the modern website era - in addition to countless more, pre-2010 - Gemmell trails only Brandon Marini of the Jays and Mike Dymond of the Reds for the most time spent on the mound in league history. Like few others, Gemmell is a SABL mainstay.

However, it’s not his historical success in the SABL that has Gemmell making headlines; it’s his incredible start to the 2015 season, particularly on the mound. Despite coming into this season with an excellent 40-19 record, Gemmell is in the midst of what is undoubtedly his career season as a pitcher. Since picking up a win with 5 solid innings against the Royals on opening day, Dave Gemmell has been on fire.

With a win against every team in the league, Gemmell shot out to a 9-0 record before taking his first loss of the season this past weekend. To go along with a sparkling ERA of 2.12, Gemmell leads the league with 9 wins, 66 innings pitched, and 7 complete games (tied with John Schade of the Pirates). More importantly, Gemmell has been instrumental in maintaining the Astros’ high level of success despite a heavy turnover of their roster - particularly the pitching staff - during the offseason.

The SABL Gazette caught up with Gemmell’s longtime catcher, Anthony Schiralli, and asked the veteran backstop about the keys to his batterymate’s transcendent 2015 season.

SABL Gazette: What, if any, factors are contributing to Dave's increased success this season?

Anthony Schiralli: Dave starts his baseball workout regime very early in the year.  This year, it began at the end of January in the batting cages. Every week he'd throw a couple hundred batting practice pitches to our players to build up his arm strength.  With a large pitching staff behind him, we've only had to ask Dave to throw one game a week this year, allowing him to stay strong and keep from being injured. Dave's fastball is harder this year and he's used it to keep batters off balance. It’s made his other pitches even better. Even though he is trying to set a career high in wins in the regular season, his numbers are not that much different from previous seasons. In five of the last six seasons, he's had at least 8 wins.

SG: What is Dave's best attribute as a pitcher?

AS: Dave’s best attribute is his control. He's able to attack weaknesses of batters and often works ahead in the count. He has a keen knowledge of his opponents and often discusses strategies to use against individual batters before a game.

SG: Were the Astros concerned about regression after losing Brandon Marini to the Jays?

AS: The loss of Brandon was huge. The innings - along with the quality of those innings - were going to be very hard to replace. Finding additional pitching was the team's number one priority in the offseason. Dave going undefeated so far has helped replace some of the wins we got from Brandon last year.

SG: What pitcher, if any, from the mlb would you compare to Dave?

AS: Dave is the Greg Maddux of the SABL. He may not have the best velocity but he has the control, pitch movement, and competitive attitude of one of the best pitchers in modern-day baseball. 

SG: How do you think you (Anthony) contribute to Dave's success on the mound, in the past and particularly this year?

AS: Dave and I have worked together for 14 years, and I've caught him almost exclusively for the past eight. We are always on the same page when it comes to pitching. I know his strengths and weaknesses, and call the game that gives the team the best chance to win. The truth is, I'm just the receiver and Dave is the one making us successful.

SG: What does Dave mean to the Astros?

AS: Dave has been one of the most important Astros - if not the most important Astro - since he joined the team. His dedication is irreplaceable. He's at every practice, early to every game, and currently has to drive the furthest out of anyone in the league to get to the ballpark. He always wants the ball, is ultra competitive, and plays whether he's hurt or not. A double header that is indicative of Dave's career happened last season. He won the first game, got injured, went to the hospital to get stitches in his face, then came back to record the save in game two. Dave is the heart of the Astros.

Posted by Phil Hiemstra - Monday Jul 27, 2:07 PM
The Mad Bombers of SABL



Since the introduction of wooden bats, SABL has become far less of a home run-oriented league. In the days of aluminum, balls were flying out of Wishing Well, Heron, and the oddly-short centre field porch of Highview at MLB steroid-era levels of frequency. However, in recent years, it has taken a far greater effort to get the ball to leave the yard.

The modern website era of SABL reflects a few years of metal bat statistics in its database. In fact, 2015 is only the third season of wood reflected in the league’s statistical database. Therefore, the home run statistics are skewed upwards from 2009-2012 (in most cases). However, due to weight training, skill, and determination, some of the finest hitters in SABL have managed to maintain their power potential into the wooden bat era. The following are the best of the best:

1. Gbenga Ajasin, Royals

(26 total homers, 24 regular season, 2 playoffs)

With a whopping 26 career home runs in the modern website era, the Royals’ centre fielder is the all-time league leaders, SABL’s answer to Hank Aaron. Like many others, Ajasin poked a multitude of his bombs before statistical data was recorded league-wide. Since 2009, however, Ajasin has been a consistent source of power in the middle of the Royals lineup. From 2009-2012, Ajasin stroked 5 homers in four straight campaigns, establishing himself as SABL’s prime power source. Since the move to wood bats, Ajasin’s home run numbers have dipped, but he remains an intimidating presence at the plate, in the field, and on the basepaths.

2. John Frederick, Psychos/Braves

(25 total homers, 23 regular season, 2 playoffs)

Last season’s SABL MVP and Playoff MVP, John Frederick may very well be SABL’s premier power hitter. As an anchor in the middle of the Braves’ lineup, Frederick has been unaffected by the move from aluminum to wood, swatting 21 home runs from 2011-2014. Despite a slow start to the 2015 campaign, Frederick remains one of the most-feared hitter in SABL today, providing valuable right-handed power on a consistent, season-to-season basis.

3. James Fensom, Psychos, Braves

(23 total homers, 22 regular season, 1 playoffs)

The numbers only tell part of the story when it comes to James Fensom, the hulking first baseman-pitcher on the league’s defending champion. Although he is both a skilled pitcher and a batter who hits for a good average, Fensom’s power is what puts him on the SABL map. Nobody in the league hits the ball any harder than this man. In fact, Fensom’s presence in SABL may have precipitated the move to wood bats more than any other factor; it was only a matter of time before this slugger took off some poor pitcher’s head with a comebacker through the box.

4. Phil Hiemstra, Royals

(22 total homers, 14 regular season, 8 playoffs)

As a result of reaching seven consecutive finals, many players on the Royals have put up big numbers in playoff competition. One name, however, stands above the rest, and that name is Hiemstra. The veteran first baseman-pitcher-shortstop-third baseman-catcher has bopped 8 homers in playoff competition, a SABL record. Hiemstra also leads in playoff RBI with 66, a whopping 23 more than his nearest competitor. In the history of SABL (modern website era), nobody has come up with more clutch bombs than Hiemstra.

5. Donald Feng, Red Sox, Royals

(20 total homers, 20 regular season)

There are few home run hitters in SABL as consistent as Donald Feng. Plugging away, Feng has clobbered 3, 3, 3, 2, 4, 3 homers to go along with two so far this season, his first on the Royals. A dead pull hitter, Feng has managed to sport a career .363 average to go along with his long balls, proving that he’s a multidimensional threat.

6. Jason Andrews, Astros

(19 total homers, 16 regular season, 3 playoffs)

Since exploding onto the scene with 6 homers in 2011, Jason Andrews has maintained his threatening presence in the middle of the Astros’ batting order. In 2013, Andrews enjoyed what has to be considered one of the top seasons in SABL history, hitting 4 homers to go along with a whopping 51 RBI and a .447 average. With his next homer, Andrews will become the illustrious sixth member of the SABL 20 Home Run Club.

Honourable Mention:

Andrew Swagers, Dragons

(13 total homers, 6 regular season, 7 playoffs)

Not much is known about Andrew Swagers. According to legend, he was one of SABL’s greatest players in the pre-website era that has forever been lost to history. In the modern era, Swagers has only appeared in one season, the Dragons’ 2012 championship campaign.

As if the Dragons weren’t already stacked enough, they managed to add a guy to their roster who would go on to amass a preposterous 13 home runs in one season. It took Swagers a mere 64 at bats to amass those 13 bombs, which is an unprecedented homer rate in SABL history. In fact, Swagers’ 7 homers in that lone 2012 playoff run sit him in second place (one behind Phil Hiemstra) for the all-time playoff home run lead. Like Roy Hobbs, Swagers’ presence in SABL lasted only one season, but it was one of the greatest seasons in league history without a doubt.

Posted by Phil Hiemstra - Monday Jul 20, 8:59 AM
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