The name you never want to hear

Tommy John. 

Two words that any pitcher would dread hearing any day of the week, at any point in his career. It’s more than just a name, for the combination of those two words can signify the end of a lifetime in baseball, or, in the very least, a minimum of one year away from the mound.

Tommy John is the name of a surgical procedure that reconstructs the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in the elbow. Though other athletes are affected all the same, it happens most often with pitchers in their throwing arms. The injured ligament is replaced with a tendon from somewhere else in the body. 

The surgery is named after the major league pitcher who had the experimental operation in 1974. Tommy John had 288 career wins, ranking him seventh all-time among left-handed pitchers, with the majority of those victories coming after his UCL was replaced with a tendon from his right forearm.

Success is often the result after undergoing this procedure, as it was with its original recipient. The most painstaking part of the process however, is the rehabilitation. Tommy John spent 18 months rehabbing before returning to pitch in the majors.

Jon Durket of the Brisbane Bandits had the surgery in 2009 and found out firsthand just how difficult coming back from it was. 

“The rehab was miserable,” Durket said. “It’s such a long, slow process. My whole life I’d thrown a baseball and to cope with the fact that I wouldn’t be able to do that competitively for nearly a year was just as hard mentally as it was physically.

“After surgery I wasn’t allowed to move my arm for a month and then slowly I began to work on my range of motion and strengthening all the muscles that deteriorated. A lot of the exercises are super tedious and you’re basically lifting 2-3 lb. weights to try and recondition the muscles you need for pitching. It took me 11 months to throw again competitively but I wasn’t mentally and physically 100 per cent until about 15 months.”

Not only is coming back from any injury difficult, but accepting what’s happened and trying to understand how it might affect the future can be a more daunting task. For the American left-hander, playing Division-I baseball at Wright State University at the time that he was injured, Durket wasn’t sure where it might leave him.

“When it first happened I was pretty shocked,” the 25-year-old said. “I’d never had any arm problems so it took me awhile to realize the significance of the injury. Initially I tried to pitch through it and when I realized I couldn’t do that, then I started to think my baseball career might be over.”

Durket first tore his UCL during a scrimmage over the winter, and believes that his arm succumbed to the pressure of throwing as hard as possible while coping with freezing temperatures. Sean Jarrett, his Bandits teammate, can pinpoint the exact moment in May of 2007 when he tore his ligament.

“I was the closer my first full year in pro ball and I was doing well,” Jarrett said. “I was 5-for-5 in save opportunities with a 1.15 ERA. My arm felt really good that day. I got the first two guys out and then the third hitter came up and I threw a fastball for strike one at 94 mph. When I threw the pitch though, my elbow popped. 

“So I decided to throw a curveball the next pitch because I thought maybe it wouldn’t pop on a curveball. It did again though, worse this time, and I had to come out of the game with two outs and two strikes on the last batter of the game. The next pitcher came in, threw one pitch, and got my save and strikeout.”

While Durket didn’t feel a significant tear on just one pitch, or two, as Jarrett did, he did have some pain and then noticed a significant drop in velocity during subsequent outings. Jarrett wasn’t able to even follow up with another outing on the mound because of the pain he endured.

“The first pop hurt pretty good,” Jarrett said. “It was maybe a six on the pain scale. So I took a few moments and stretched out my forearm, thinking that maybe the nerve just moved around on me or something. Then on the next pitch it popped in the same spot but the feeling was 10 times more painful. It was a shooting pain down my arm to the hand. It felt like my hand was on fire. When I tried to bend my elbow, I just started sweating like crazy and got upset to my stomach.”

The 28-year-old righty from Colorado knew immediately how seriously he had injured himself and had the feeling that his season was over, though he was hopeful that it might not be true. Amidst moments of panic in which he would worry that his baseball career might be finished, he figured it would all work out. 

When Jarrett was told that he needed Tommy John, a sense of relief came over him because he realized his problem was fixable and all he would need to deal with it was time.

“Good,” Jarrett said of his original thoughts on when he was informed he needed the surgery. “Because I can’t even throw a dart right now, or swing a golf club. 

“It was disappointing to hear but relieving that they knew exactly what to do and the recovery rate for surgery is so high.”

The Brisbane Bandits are hopeful that two more of their pitchers can come back and have as much success post-surgery and through their rehabilitation processes as Jarrett and Durket have. Both James Albury and Drew Naylor threw for the Bandits in the Australian Baseball League’s inaugural season, but missed out on this year because of Tommy John.

Though Albury’s injury occurred prior to the season, he pitched through the pain and continued to take the mound for Brisbane all year long.

“I actually did it in an A-grade game, a local club game,” Albury said. “It happened before the start of the season last year but I pitched through the whole ABL season. I kind of just felt a little pop in the elbow and I knew it was hurt but I wanted to pitch because it was the first ABL season.

“It didn’t really bother me in that first game but afterwards it would hurt every time I pitched basically. And my arm would swell up after every game."

It’s been almost 11 months since Albury’s surgery and at this point he is beginning to throw bullpen sessions, a good sign for Bandits fans. While it was hard to watch the most recent season from the sidelines, Albury, along with Naylor, will be looking forward to recovering and getting back to work next year.

“They say 90 per cent of guys come back throwing harder so I’m doing a lot of gym work and everything,” Albury said. “I expect to come back throwing the ball harder.”

While there is a certain likelihood that pitchers will be even better when they come back from the surgery, the reason isn’t because of the replacement of the UCL, but instead due to the work put in during the rehab process. 

“Some come back stronger from it, only because of all the rehab that has to be done,” Jarrett said. “The months of strengthening shoulders is why they come back throwing harder, not just because of the new ligament. I was pitching at 91-94 mph before the surgery and since then I have only gotten back to 92.”

Having been through what Albury and Naylor are going through right now, Jarrett and Durket would both caution them and anyone else having Tommy John to take rehabbing seriously. And with such a long process to endure, patience is key.

“I’d tell them not to rush and to listen to their arms,” Durket said. “When you start throwing post-surgery it’s really hard to resist just letting one fly. Because your arm feels great and you want to know if you still have it, but if you push it too much you can end up tearing it again. Also to be patient mentally because it takes a whole year before you get the control and velocity back that you’re used to having.”

Brisbane Bandits sponsors Alderley Hire and Ready Towing

The Brisbane Bandits have had a great deal of support from a variety of sponsors, but it’s hard to compete with the contributions from that of Ready Towing and Alderley Hire.

Both are classified as major sponsors, because of their significant financial contributions to the ball club. But beyond the money, both companies offer support in terms of their owners coming out to games and cheering on the team, in addition to providing employment to some of the players, allowing them the time to play baseball in addition to doing their jobs.

Mark Ready and Adrian Lamb are the faces behind Ready Towing and Bruce Mutch is their Alderley Hire counterpart. Ready Towing employs two different players who put on Brisbane Bandits uniforms this year, while Alderley Hire is the workplace of first baseman David Sutherland.

“Ready Towing have been proud sponsors of the Brisbane Bandits for the past two years,” Ready said. “We also have several players – Matthew Roxburgh and Ryan Searle – employed by Ready Towing and we provide them with flexible working hours so they can attend training sessions, games and road trips.”

The contributions of all three Ready employees were significant to the Bandits this season. Roxburgh, in his rookie season, hit .283/.333/.396 with three home runs, three doubles and 16 runs driven in over his 28 games this year. The outfielder’s inaugural season in the Australian Baseball League was significant enough to garner him a spot on the ballot for Rookie of the Year voting.

Searle came back to play for Brisbane partway through the year, after being shut down for the beginning of the season. The Cubs prospect went 3-1 with a 3.66 ERA through five starts. He was consistent and effective on the mound, finishing up the season with 32 innings pitched, allowing just 21 hits and nine walks, striking out 34. The 22-year-old also pitched the league’s fourth complete game of the year, and was one of only six guys to accomplish the feat.

Ready and the Windsor Royals were also kind enough to loan their A-grade pitcher Justin Staatz to Brisbane over their Christmas break, so he could help the Bandits win. That’s exactly what the American right-hander did, starting two games and posting a 0.68 ERA through 13 1/3 innings. He was the recipient of two no-decisions, for lack of run support, but had an eight-inning shutout performance earning him runner-up honours for Player of the Week in Round 8 of the ABL.

During the season, the company allowed its baseball-playing employees to take time for practices, training, road trips and games, though it wasn’t always easy.

“The ABL does impact the business when the guys have to finish early or are away on road trips but we juggle around the rosters, employ extra staff on overtime and cope as best we can,” Ready said.

Mutch’s love for baseball is so great that when he hired Sutherland, he worked the sport into his schedule.

“He has been working for us for about four years,” Mutch said of Sutherland. “When he came on, I said ‘Hey look, I’m a big baseball fan, I support baseball, so whatever time off you need to play for Australia, to play for the Dodgers, to play for the Bandits, you can take’. I give him up to 21 days, up to three weeks a year, at full pay. And he gets his holidays as well.”

With the arrangement that the first baseman has with Alderley Hire, it often leaves a vacant spot at the office or on deliveries needing to be filled. Mutch has found ways to work around it because of his love for the game, though it may be a less-than-ideal situation for the employer. 

“Always,” Mutch said of whether or not there is ever a conflict at work with Sutherland missing time for games. “We employ casual staff, too, to fill in for him. So it’s a double cost I guess if I think of it that way.”

Sutherland had a fantastic season for the Bandits, highlighted by a great last series in Adelaide. For the year he batted .305/.365/.461 with six home runs, eight doubles and 31 RBI, an improvement on what were already impressive numbers from last year. Through his final five games against the Bite he hit .450 (9-for-20) with two homers, a double and five runs driven in, garnering him runner-up honours for the Player of the Week award for Round 11.

His accomplishments stand out especially after learning how dedicated Sutherland is both on and off the field. 

“I work full-time, 45 hours a week and sometimes on Saturday mornings,” Sutherland said. “Having Bruce Mutch as a boss, he is very happy to give me the days off I need throughout the season.

“It is a very tough few months managing work and baseball. I have to be in very good shape and get as much rest as possible because Thursdays and Fridays I have to work all day and then go play a game at night and try to do great. It’s great fun though and you just have to keep powering through to the end of the season.”

Roxburgh shares his teammate’s sentiment about the game and about putting in the time at work beforehand.

“It can be hard sometimes, especially working all day and then having to go straight to the field for a game,” Roxburgh said. “And then you don’t get home until 11 or 12 at night and try and cook some dinner and get to bed just to be back up at seven again for work. It’s a little easier on the road, as you don’t have to work so you can get a bit more sleep in, but with my job I still get phone calls on the road about work and still have to sort out issues.”

The 25-year-old has a great appreciation for the allowances he gets to play ball and to take time away from the workplace for the sport.

“My bosses are fantastic with allowing me time off, as they are both heavily involved with baseball,” Roxburgh said. “And they are sponsors of the Bandits and also have a corporate box, so they are always at the games cheering myself and Searle on.”

Added Searle: “Mark and Adrian have been really supportive of both myself and the team, and they are very flexible. Up until now, I have been working full-time and training. Between work, baseball and training, there isn’t much time for anything else, but at this stage in my life, those things are my only priority. I am very grateful of everything they have done for me.”

The Bandits are also appreciative of what Ready Towing and Alderley Hire have contributed to the organisation and look forward to a continued relationship.

Daniel Lamb-Hunt, New Zealander, infielder, German batting champ

It’s never too late.

Taking up a brand new sport at 18 years old would seem a daunting task for most. And then to make an attempt at climbing the ranks into professional leagues would appear to be near impossible.

Evidently not for Daniel Lamb-Hunt. Though he got a late start at the game of baseball, the infielder from New Zealand made his way up to the Brisbane Bandits roster in the Australian Baseball League for the first time last year, before getting another chance to play Bandits baseball this season. The now 24-year-old is still working on getting into the starting lineup on a regular basis, but has a different background in the sport than most.

“Baseball was never an option for me,” Lamb-Hunt said. “I was a fast pitch softballer doing my thing in NZ when, while I was playing in a tournament in early 2005, I was approached by Atlanta Braves scouts Neil Burke and Phil Dale. They said they were interested in signing me, without having ever thrown a baseball.

“They took me down to the back field in between games and put me through a few tests, like a 60-yard sprint, throwing across the diamond, fielding ground balls and they let me hit some batting practice. It was my first time doing all of that. They said that they were very interested and would send the info through to the States and get back to me in a week or two. The next week they got back to me with a contract and I made the switch [to baseball].”

After being signed, Lamb-Hunt went straight to the Australian MLB Academy before spending time playing club ball in Australia and going to extended spring training with the Braves twice. With two extended springs under his belt, the infielder was released, despite not having even participated in a season. Since his switch to baseball, Lamb-Hunt played in Claxton Shield competition before the ABL came back around.

For the last two off-seasons, Lamb-Hunt found great success playing European baseball for the Pulheim Gophers of the Northern League in Germany. He won two consecutive batting titles, hitting .411/.500/.710 with seven home runs, 22 RBI and five stolen bases in 2010 and .440/.542/.736 with seven long balls, 30 runs driven in and six swiped bags through the 28-game schedule in 2011. During the most recent season, he beat out Melbourne Aces star Elliot Biddle for the hitting award.

Though the Gophers folded, Lamb-Hunt will be heading back to Germany for a third season this winter. He will be playing for the Bonn Capitals and looks to three-peat and win the batting title once again. He’s thoroughly enjoyed his time in Europe though he didn’t know what to expect when he first went over to play.

“I had no knowledge of the culture or the quality of baseball,” he said. “But when I got there the people were super nice and very giving. They took care of me and made sure I was comfortable. I had a good season, taking out the batting award, and again when I returned last season.

“The team, on the other hand, didn’t have such a good season so the first year we narrowly escaped relegation after missing the playoffs by one game. The second year was a disaster and led to the undoing of the Gophers in the top league.”

Before making his way back to Germany, Lamb-Hunt did get a chance to keep working this summer, with his club ball team and the Bandits. For Brisbane he played in six games, and on the second-last day of the season he launched his first ABL home run, a straightaway shot over the centre field wall in Adelaide.

Now that the ABL season is done, Lamb-Hunt can reflect on the goals he had set for himself and also start to look forward to what’s next. 

“My goals for this season were kept simple,” the New Zealander said. “I knew with the players we had I would be a replacement/fringe guy so I just wanted to have a better season and maybe push my way into a starting spot, but that was always going to be tough.

“At this point, I want to come back next season and do it again but six months in Germany and a possible chance to represent New Zealand in the upcoming [World Baseball Classic] qualifiers might change that, so we’ll have to see.”

In September, Lamb-Hunt will be hoping to represent his home country as they try to earn a spot in the WBC. Though he still considers New Zealand home, he spends almost half of each year in Australia, trying to learn and grow as a baseball player.

“Baseball in Australia is no-frills baseball,” Lamb-Hunt said. “Baseball is played the right way down here and it’s played hard.”

Who stepped up to the plate?

Though the game officially starts when the umpire says “play ball”, it doesn’t really get underway until he calls the batter to the plate.

Pitchers can’t win without run support and even the strongest offense can have trouble overcoming a deficit. Success in baseball dictates that a batter will fail almost 70 per cent of the time.

“During my 18 years I came to bat almost 10,000 times,” Mickey Mantle said. “I struck out about 1,700 times and walked maybe 1,800 times. You figure a ballplayer will average about 500 at-bats a season. That means I played seven years without ever hitting the ball.”

The Brisbane Bandits had 19 different hitters in their various lineups this season. Just three players took part in every game this year, with those staples being Josh Roberts, David Sutherland and Brad Dutton. They were three of just seven players in the entire league to play in all of their 45 regular-season games. Wade Dutton missed only three games, and beyond Brisbane’s core four, no other Bandit made it into more than two-thirds of the year’s batting orders.

Roberts followed up his Bandits MVP season last year with another solid showing that should notch him some votes in the same category for this year. The right fielder hit .308/.343/.516, leading the team in average, and also with seven home runs and 15 doubles. The ABL All-Star ended up just one hit shy of having 100 for his career in the two years of the league, though a shortened inaugural season for Brisbane might be to blame. Roberts was tied for the team lead in runs driven in, with 31.

The man he tied with for the Bandits RBI title is Sutherland, who had a fantastic last series of the season against the Bite, moving him up near the top of the list in numerous offensive categories among the team. In his final five games in Adelaide, the first baseman earned runner-up honours for the Player of the Week award for Round 11 hitting .450 (9-for-20) with two home runs, a double and five RBI. He finished the season batting .305/.365/.461 with six home runs and eight doubles, an upgrade on already impressive numbers from last year. 

Brad Dutton had to battle through numerous injuries to ensure his appearance in every game this season. The second baseman appeared to win the fight, as he hit .300/.340/.400 with four homers, six doubles and 24 runs driven in. His season stats are a vast improvement over last year, an indication that the adjustment period to the league is over and his contributions will only continue. The older Dutton brother also led the team in runs scored with 31.

The younger half of ‘The Bash Brothers’ made his way around the field for Brisbane this year, taking on any position that required him. Though his offensive numbers took a little dip from where they were last year, the third baseman excelled not only at the hot corner, but also in centre field and at shortstop as well. Wade Dutton hit three home runs on the season, drove in nine and led the team with six stolen bases.

One part of the reason the Bandits saw so many fresh faces in the lineup is because of the Japanese imports coming to play in Brisbane for just seven weeks of the season. Four Fukuoka Softbank Hawks hitters were a part of the Bandits batting orders, having varied success at the plate.

Keiji Nakahara started the season off a little slowly but the centre fielder made progress in his last days on the team. Nakahara went 7-for-20 in his final six games with the team, including three home runs, nine RBI and four runs scored over that span. He finished his ABL season batting .207/.258/.402 in 24 games with four total homers, a double, two triples, nine runs, three stolen bases and 15 RBI.

Finding even more success this season in Brisbane was catcher Ayatsugu Yamashita. He batted .340/.391/.472 in 16 games behind the plate for the Bandits. While he didn’t notch enough plate appearances to qualify among the league’s batting leaders, Yamashita did get an All-Star nod, traveling to Perth to play for Team World just before heading back to Japan.

Kenta Imamiya joined the Bandits in Sydney for Round 5 of ABL play, replacing Taisei Makihara at shortstop. Makihara batted .194/.219/.194 through 14 games with four runs scored and three stolen bases before heading back home. Imamiya saw action in 11 games for the Bandits, batting .238/.304/.310 with a double, a triple, three RBI, five runs scored and five stolen bases over that span.

Left fielder Matt Roxburgh, designated hitter Rory Rhodes and utility man Andrew Campbell spent the most time on the Brisbane roster beyond the core four. Roxburgh’s first season of professional baseball suited him well as he hit .283/.333/.396 with three home runs, three doubles and 16 RBI in 28 games.

After garnering runner-up honours for the ABL Rookie of the Year Award last season, Rhodes had an off-year. The Minnesota Twins prospect was plagued with injuries to start the season and likely just didn’t have enough time to adjust and get back into the game. He did launch four long balls on the year to go with four doubles and 13 RBI over his 28 games.

Campbell fared well out of the leadoff spot in the order, batting an impressive .301/.387/.376 in 26 games. The 19-year-old led the team in on-base percentage and notched five doubles and a triple during the season. The Cleveland Indians prospect also managed to drive in eight runs from the top of the order and he stole three bases this year.

Six players got into the lineup for more than 10 games but not more than 15, spending parts of the season with the team or platooning at their position with others. Alan Schoenberger took over at shortstop when the Japanese players left, and launched one home run, drove in four and swiped two bags in his 15 games.

Ryan Battaglia and Mitch Nilsson split the catching duties at the end of the year, with Joel Naughton taking his turn behind the dish at the beginning of the season. Battaglia batted .273/.319/.523 over 14 games, leading the team in slugging percentage over that time. The 19-year-old had two homers, five doubles and six RBI. Nilsson added one long ball of his own to go with three doubles and five runs driven in, through 14 games. Naughton appeared in just 12 games, going yard one time and driving in four.

Steven Greer took over in centre field at the tail end of the season and was a huge defensive asset to the club. The outfielder had one home run, two doubles and five RBI through 14 games to go with his glove. Third baseman Kevin Hoef suited up for 13 games with the Bandits this year. Hoef also had one homer and two doubles to go with his four runs driven in, and also notched a .360 on-base percentage. 

Daniel Lamb-Hunt appeared in six games and Jay Nilsson got into five for Brisbane. Lamb-Hunt launched a home run on the very last day of the season but neither had much opportunity at the plate, making their numbers an inaccurate representation of what their capabilities might be.

With a number of young players gaining more experience and getting increased time in the ABL this year, Brisbane has a lot to look forward to. Also deserving acknowledgement is the way the Bandits appeared to come together as a team more near the end of the season, likely resulting in their increased number of victories in the back end of the year.

“The way a team plays as a whole determines its success,” Babe Ruth said. “You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don’t play together, the club won’t be worth a dime.”

Aussie living, import-style

Australian baseball has much to offer in terms of the game, the environment and the atmosphere. Though the novelty of playing down under may be lost on local players, it’s definitely fresh in the minds of those who have traveled to the southern hemisphere, just for the season.

“It has been a great experience that I’ll never forget,” Brisbane Bandits relief pitcher Sean Jarrett said of playing in the Australian Baseball League. “The people over here are so friendly and welcoming. The country is beautiful as well.”

Jarrett made his way to Brisbane all the way from his hometown of Limon, Colorado, three weeks into the ABL season. The right-hander had a 27-hour journey to his final destination that originated in Denver and stopped in Los Angeles, California and Auckland, New Zealand along the way. He was drawn to the league after having heard about it earlier this year from Melbourne Aces Jason Hirsh and Shane Lindsay, and is one of the few foreign players on the team with the least number of imports in the ABL.

“The experience over here has really opened my eyes to experiencing other cultures,” Jarrett said. “Also, it’s great to see America’s favourite pastime played at a high level outside of the States. It makes me want to come back next season.”

Alex Maestri made his way to Australia from Cesena, Italy, on the advice of a former minor league teammate and current Bandits teammate. Though the one-time Cubs prospect wanted to play Aussie ball last season, he didn’t have the opportunity to do so until this year.

“Once my independent ball season in the States was over I started looking for a winter ball league where I could play,” Maestri said. “I wanted to come to Australia the year before but at the time I was with the Cubs and they weren’t willing to pay for me to come here. Being a free agent worked out better for me. I just got a plane ticket and here I am. I have to thank Ryan Searle, being the one who gave me all the contacts I needed.”

Fans of the Brisbane team should also be thanking Searle, as Maestri has emerged as the ace of the staff this year. The Italian Stallion is 4-4 on the season with a 3.25 ERA. He earned Player of the Week honours for Round 8 with a two-hit complete game performance, and was a runner-up for the award in Round 9 of ABL action. He is third in the league with 63 2/3 innings pitched on the season and ranks fourth with 53 total strikeouts and has been enjoying his time down under.

“It’s a great winter ball league,” Maestri said of the ABL. “It’s pretty laid back and there is good competition here. It’s a great way to see this beautiful country, since you get to play in the main cities of Australia.”

The level of competition in the ABL is set to a high standard. While rosters include many young players and local talent, each team has imports and affiliated players, with even a few guys from the majors scattered around the league. For Jon Durket, a lefty reliever for the Bandits from El Dorado Hills, California, just getting on the mound to face the opposition has been a great feeling.

“It’s my favourite baseball experience that I’ve had so far,” Durket said of playing in the ABL. “There aren’t many places you can face big leaguers, other than the big leagues.”

The southpaw came to Australia to play club ball for the Redlands Rays with the hopes of getting a shot at joining the Bandits. Brisbane manager Kevin Jordan saw him throw and gave him a chance to join in on a couple of training sessions with the team, and Durket eventually secured himself a spot on the roster. The original opportunity offered the 25-year-old more baseball and more summer, though it’s turned into what he calls “a dream scenario”.

“It’s an amazing opportunity,” Durket said. “You’re a big leaguer in another country. And for someone like me who hasn’t really been seen in the States and hasn’t gotten a chance to be drafted or play affiliated baseball, it’s a chance to feel like a big leaguer for a season. And it’s a chance to play with big leaguers.”

Facing tough competition in a professional league also gives some players a chance to work toward their futures. As teams make their attempts at winning a championship, many individuals are hoping to gain contracts for the next season of baseball, whether it be with an affiliation in the major leagues or elsewhere in the world. 

“It’s a great league to develop skills, since you’re playing against such good talent,” Justin Staatz said of the ABL. “It’s also a great platform for free agents. You can get scouted by MLB teams as well as Japanese ones. And on top of it all, you get to be in Australia, such an awesome country.”

Though Staatz has only started two games for Brisbane this season, he originally came to Australia to play club baseball during the 2007-08 season. Born in Santa Monica, California, the one-time Minnesota Twins farmhand made friends with a few Aussies during his time in the minors, who convinced him to play in Oz. The right-hander is now in his third season with the Windsor Royals in the Queensland Major League.

“[What I like best about Australian baseball is] the fact that I get to play baseball all year,” Staatz said. “In the past I’ve had breaks and it’s a pain to get your arm strength back up after one. Also, you’re in Australia. It’s a no-brainer that it’s a great place to be.”

The consensus is clear that the land whose motto is ‘beautiful one day, perfect the next’, is a desirable destination. The imported players have had a chance to visit several different corners of the continent with their travel schedule, and have also taken time on their own to see sites and tour various areas.

“I love the beach, so that’s the first thing I checked out,” Maestri said. “The first couple of weeks I was here we had a lot of days off, so I got to see a good part of the Sunshine Coast, the Gold Coast and then I went and checked out the Australia Zoo. I’ve been all around Brisbane of course and I went to Byron Bay during the Christmas break. Plus, every time we go on the road I explore the city we’re in the day after I pitch.”

Having been to Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide, the Brisbane Bandits players have made their way across Australia and back. The imports have been to numerous beaches, eaten authentic Aussie food and are even beginning to learn the language.

“I’ve traveled all over the country and seen so many awesome places,” Durket said. “Australia has the best beaches in the world, at least that I’ve seen. And I think it’s Australian to eat a meat pie, because we don’t have them in the States. But I’m a big fan.”

Added Jarrett: “I’ve drunk XXXX Gold, had fish and chips, tried the amazing creation of vegemite (said with a foreigner’s hint of sarcasm), learned some new words and realised Australians don’t use anything but vowels. And the beaches are amazing.”

Though the land down under has much to offer, there are some things that the Bandits pitchers miss from home. While they all miss family and friends, including Staatz’s nephew Finn and Maestri’s three little cousins in particular, certain foods seem to be another common ground. The Italian right-hander misses his mother’s cooking, but the two California boys have a soft spot for Mexican fare.

“Chipotle,” Staatz named as a restaurant he misses in particular. “They have the best burritos in the world.”

Staatz’s left-handed counterpart shares his teammate’s sentiment for the popular burrito chain, and also expresses a longing for American sports. 

“I definitely miss Mexican food,” Durket said. “And the NFL. Chipotle is hard to beat. And I’ve tried embracing ‘footie’ and ‘league’ but it hasn’t stopped me from missing a Sunday full of football on the gridiron.”

Though Guzman Y Gomez may have to be a temporary replacement for all Australian burrito needs, the imports haven’t lost quite as much as they might have picked up, including new fears for certain animals that might not be found at home.

While Staatz mentioned dropbears as a source of worry, the fictitious marsupial is unlikely to do any damage. The supposedly vicious and carnivorous koalas are improbably going to drop from a tree and attack, as is their made-up nature, so Staatz might fare better than Maestri has in his encounters with Aussie animals.

“I got attacked by a magpie in my backyard,” the Italian righty said. “I saw a few lizards in my first days here and I thought they were pretty ugly creatures. Then I saw a pretty long snake skin hanging from our neighbour’s tree. That meant a snake just changed his skin the night before. I hate snakes.”

While Jarrett shares the dislike for snakes with Maestri, he also named bats and funnel-web spiders as creatures he’d like to avoid for the duration of his stay down under. Durket, however, can undoubtedly be found scanning for various predators when he’s in the water.

“Well I haven’t encountered a bull shark, but the fact that they’re in canals and pretty much every waterway definitely freaks me out,” he said.

With very few, if any, disadvantages in making the journey across the world to play in the ABL, the foreign players agree that Australia is a great place to play baseball. Also having made friends and seen the love for America’s favourite pastime on the other side of the globe has contributed to their positive experiences. 

“I love the atmosphere and the camaraderie,” Durket said. “Being around guys who have so much pride playing in their home country and in front of their loved ones is something I’ve never really appreciated in the States.”

It all starts on the mound

A starting pitcher, for lack of a better description, is the pitcher who starts the game. He is the man on the mound throwing the first pitch after the umpire says “play ball”.

The Brisbane Bandits had 12 different pitchers this season that started at least one game. Anyone who takes the hill anytime thereafter the opening pitch is coming on in relief of that starter, and is likely to have come out of the bullpen.

Starters are not only categorized as such because they throw the all-important first pitch, but also because they are the ones who make the first attempt at going the distance of the game. Starting pitchers are expected to throw the majority of the innings in any particular matchup, and are not in line for a win unless they go at least five complete frames.

One reason a starting pitcher would not go the entire nine innings of a game might be because he is struggling, but another could be due to his pitch count. Pitch counts are implemented so that starters don’t hurt themselves, or do not require an excessive number of days of rest beyond what they already need before they can start another game.

The guys who head to the mound to start games must usually rest for three or four days between their turns on the hill because of the strain it takes on the body and the arm to launch upwards of 100 pitches over the plate. Bandits starters were mostly kept to a 100-pitch maximum this year. For that reason, teams have numerous starting pitchers, making up their rotation.

Fan favourite Alex Maestri was the leader of the pack for Brisbane. The Bandits ace started nine games, more than any other guy on the staff. He finished with a 3.25 ERA, ranking among league leaders with 63 2/3 innings pitched and 53 strikeouts on the year. The Italian Stallion pitched the third complete game of the Australian Baseball League season, a two-hitter earning him Player of the Week honours for Round 8 of ABL action. He was runner-up for the award the following week for another one of his stellar performances.

With seven games started during the season before he headed back to Japan, Yohei Yanagawa logged the third highest number of innings for the Bandits. The right-hander from the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks had an immense presence on the mound during his time in Brisbane. He went 2-1 with a 2.52 ERA in his 35 2/3 innings with 43 strikeouts during the year and would still rank among the top of the league if he had enough innings to qualify.

The performances of both Yanagawa and Maestri earned them spots on the World Team roster for the inaugural ABL All-Star Game, which took place in Perth in December.

Steven Chambers made six starts for the Bandits this year, with two additional appearances out of the bullpen. The 21-year-old right-hander pitched 33 innings, striking out 23 batters along the way. He was the Sunday starter for the majority of the season, but was shuffled around later on and will look to build on his time in the rotation for next year.

Making just five starts for Brisbane after being shut down for the beginning of the season by his affiliated club was Ryan Searle. The Cubs farmhand made a strong impression in a short time however, going 3-1 with a 3.66 ERA. He tossed the league’s fourth complete game of the year and finished up with 32 innings pitched, allowing just 21 hits and nine walks, fanning 34 batters. The 22-year-old will look to make an even bigger mark during the 2012-13 season.

The first pitch this year was thrown by Simon Morriss, who eventually went from the starting rotation to the relief corps. The righty started five games in total, appearing In 15 before the end of the season. In the starting rotation, Morris went 23 innings, striking out 18 batters. For the season he threw 37 2/3 innings, the second-most on the staff, walking just 12 batters while striking out 28.

Starting three games apiece were Chris Mowday and Josh Warner. Mowday began the season in the closing role but made the transition to the rotation at the end of the year. The 30-year-old right-hander fared slightly better in relief, posting a 3.24 ERA in 16 2/3 innings with nine strikeouts, but was effective on the mound throughout the season.

Warner was a spot starter for the Bandits, and went just 8 2/3 innings over his three starts. In total for Brisbane this year, he tossed 12 2/3 innings, fanning 12 hitters along the way. The 19-year-old will compete for a spot in the rotation amongst next year’s staff.

Sean Jarrett and Justin Staatz each made two starts for the team. Jarrett came into the season a couple weeks after it began and took a spot in middle relief before making an attempt at taking over as the closer. The Colorado native found greater success in his two games started on the mound, notching two wins and going at least six innings in each game, walking only one batter and whiffing nine.

The other right-handed American starter for Brisbane, Staatz, came to the team on loan from his club ball squad. In his two starts he made a lasting impact, throwing 13 1/3 innings and putting up a 0.68 ERA. He was the recipient of two no-decisions with the Bandits, for lack of run support, but was named a runner-up for Player of the Week honours for his eight-inning shutout performance in Round 8.

Trent Baker, Andrew Marck and Jason Kilby made one start apiece for the Bandits, spot starting as called upon and rounding out the list of starting pitchers for Brisbane throughout the 2011-12 season.

Next year’s competition for the rotation will boast an impressive list of guys with experience in the role, especially as the team will hope to welcome back James Albury and Drew Naylor, both coming off of Tommy John surgery.

If a team starts with its starting pitchers, there are plenty of positives to build upon from this season and a lot to look forward to for next year. Just as former major league outfielder Mickey Rivers said, “Pitching is 80 per cent of the game and the other half is hitting and fielding.”

A closer look at the Brisbane Bandits bullpen

There are two main categories of pitchers in baseball, starters and relievers.

Of course, all of them are different kinds of hurlers, throwing different pitches at different speeds and holding varying specialties. And then in the bullpen, the characterisation of the guys on the mound breaks down even further. There are long men, short men, mop-up men, spot starters, LOOGYs (lefty one-out guys) and closers.

“The two most important things in life are good friends and a strong bullpen,” said Bob Lemon, former pitcher for the Cleveland Indians and Baseball Hall of Famer.

This season the Brisbane Bandits tried out a number of pitchers in a variety of roles. The first pitch of the year was thrown by Simon Morriss, who went from the starting rotation to the relief corps. Chris Mowday began the season in the closing role and emerged as a starter over the last few weeks. Sean Jarrett began his time in middle relief, before giving closing a try and then eventually making his way into the starting rotation.

All in all, the Bandits saw seven different members of the pitching staff record saves. A save is recorded by a closing pitcher when he finishes a game won by his team, he is not the winning pitcher, he is credited with pitching at least 1/3 of an inning, and he meets one of the following three criteria: he enters the game with a lead of no more than three runs and does not give up that lead, he enters the game with the potential tying run on base, at bat or on deck, or he pitches the final three innings of the game.

Closing out games is a tough job, heading to the mound in the final moments of the game, hoping to preserve a win for the team and the starting pitcher, with the pressure mounting on those hopeful last pitches. A closer is also occasionally referred to as the short man, because of the tendency to only throw one inning at a time. Mowday led Brisbane closers with three saves on the year, finishing out more games than any other Bandit.

Brisbane had only one real LOOGY throughout the season, a relief pitcher who throws left-handed and specializes in pitching to lefty batters, that being Chris Lamb. LOOGYs typically enter the game to face one batter and get one out. Lamb threw nine innings in total for the Bandits this season, making 17 appearances. He allowed no earned runs and just four hits, keeping left-handed batters to a .118 average.

The Bandits had two other lefties in the bullpen for them this season, Jon Durket and Trent Baker. Neither was used as a LOOGY, except on a rare occasion, though Baker did much better against lefties. The 21-year-old wasn’t on the Brisbane roster for the entire season, but he made his way from the bullpen to the starting rotation in the team’s last series. As a reliever, Baker entered seven games, tossing 10 innings for the Bandits and in his start, he completed five frames.

Durket predominantly threw multiple innings in each of his appearances and fared better against right-handed bats, keeping them to a .196 average on the season. The American lefty pitched 19 innings for the Bandits over 12 games, allowing 15 hits and striking out 18 on the year.

Baker was one of five that could be considered spot starters in Brisbane’s rotation throughout the season. Andrew Marck and Jason Kilby both started just one game apiece for the Bandits. Josh Warner had three starts on the season and Jarrett had two, though Jarrett’s success in the role may have cemented him in as a starting pitcher.

Jarrett came into the season a couple of weeks after it started, heading to Brisbane just in time for the team’s road trip to Sydney. The American right-hander took a spot as a middle reliever before attempting to take over the closing role. As a part of the bullpen, Jarrett was 1-2 with a 3.24 ERA over 10 games and 16 2/3 innings, but with three blown saves. He appeared to find his niche as a starter, going 2-0 in his two appearances, pitching at least six innings in each game, walking just one batter and striking out nine.

The mop-up man in a bullpen is usually a pitcher who comes in when the team is suffering a blowout loss in early innings. The pitcher is used to mop up what is thought to be a lost cause, saving other pitchers for the next day’s game. The Bandits didn’t appear to have one standout mop-up man on their roster, notably because they didn’t suffer many early-inning blowouts.

Outside of the closing role, there was one pitcher Brisbane used primarily as a short man. Justin Erasmus was the standout, playing the setup man at times and coming in for the eighth inning to hold onto the lead for the closer. Erasmus also closed out the last two games of the season, garnering two saves in his two opportunities. The Boston Red Sox prospect threw 16 innings over 12 games, posting a 2.25 ERA and eight strikeouts on the year.

Veitch threw more than one inning in most of his appearances, and more than two innings in half of them, taking him just out of the short man category and making him one of Brisbane’s long men. Over his 12 games he threw a total of 23 frames, going 2-2 with a 3.91 ERA on the season. He was extremely effective on the mound for the Bandits, especially in the second half of the season. Over his last six games and 13 innings of relief, he gave up just three runs.

Though it wasn’t the case for Veitch, the long man is often a starter-turned-reliever who has been in a pitching slump. This might have been the best descriptor for Morriss, who came to the bullpen after five season starts. The long man is often trying to pitch his way from the bullpen back to the starting rotation, though the hope is that somewhere along the line, he will regain whatever confidence was lost in his slump. In relief, Morriss threw 14 2/3 innings in 10 games, striking out 10. For the season he pitched in 15 games, going 37 2/3 innings, walking just 12 batters while striking out 28.

Rhys Niit also got his share of time as a long man for the Bandits, closing out a couple of games in that role. Not on the roster for the entire season, Niit appeared in just six games but pitched 11 innings over that time. He notched two three-inning saves, usually a rarity but not for the Bandits staff, and posted a 1.64 ERA on the year.

While being a part of the bullpen is one of the toughest jobs in baseball, never knowing when someone might be needed or what situation they might be facing, and potentially not pitching in a game for days at a time, it’s a hotbed for camaraderie amongst relief pitchers. That shouldn’t be a surprise, since they spend so much time together.

The Brisbane Bandits bullpen spent their time together in left field this season cheering on their teammates first and foremost, but also playing games, trying to jinx other teams and telling a lot of stories. Rumour has it that Mowday has the best stories amongst those in the Brisbane ‘pen.

But what’s the best part about the bullpen, according to Bandits pitching coach Gary Nilsson?

“It’s a team amongst a team,” Nilsson said. “Everyone’s a little group and they’re together and they’re part of the pitching staff. And they’re all going for each other all the time.”

A weekend to remember

It will be a weekend to remember in the Australian Baseball League.

Major League Baseball saw an epic finish to its regular season, as four franchises fought right to the last minute of the final night. Only two teams emerged, both battling back from huge deficits in the Wild Card race at the beginning of September to prevail at the end of the month.

Five teams are vying for three playoff spots in the ABL as the dying moments of the regular season count down in Round 11. The finish to the summer season is shaping up to be as memorable for Aussie baseball as the race to the end in the major leagues.

The St. Louis Cardinals were eight-and-a-half games back of the Atlanta Braves to start September. The Braves suffered an infamous collapse, which led to the eventual winning of the World Series Championship for the Cards.

Looking to climb out of the bottom of the ABL standings and emerge victorious as an underdog are the Brisbane Bandits. Though the Bandits (17-23) sit in the sixth spot on the ladder, they are only two games out of second place. Brisbane won only nine of its first 25 games of the season but has come out strong as of late, taking eight of its last 15 and three straight to end the series against Melbourne in Round 10.

The Bandits take on the Bite in Adelaide in their last regular season matchup. Adelaide (18-22) has lost 12 of its last 16 games and sits in a tie for third position in the standings with Melbourne and the Cavalry. The Aces host Canberra at the Melbourne Showgrounds as the second-place Blue Sox (19-21) head to Perth to take on the leader in the standings.

Because of the tight race heading into the final weekend before the post-season there remain such possibilities in the standings as a four-way tie, seven three-way ties and numerous two-way ties.

In the event of this happening, the tie-breaker first goes to the team with the higher winning percentage in head-to-head competition. This would likely lead to a conclusive determination as teams have played nine games against each other, but if it didn’t resolve the discrepancy the tie-break would be determined by each team’s winning percentage against the first-place team, the Perth Heat.

The team who emerges in the second spot will head to Perth for their first playoff series. The third-place team will host a post-season series against whichever squad lands in fourth. Realistically, every team in the race currently has a chance to host a five-game series next weekend.

It all comes down to the final series and the last five games that each team will play within it. The hunt for February baseball is on and no team will go down without a fight. Be prepared for a photo finish to the end as the ABL standings are far from being determined.

Josh Roberts, Brisbane Bandit, captain, former MVP and All-Star

If actions truly speak louder than words, the sound of Josh Roberts in the Brisbane Bandits clubhouse must be deafening.

The right fielder has truly taken on a leadership role within the team, and not just in his numbers, though he does lead the Bandits in almost every offensive category that is statistically available.

He is also a team captain, to go along with being Brisbane’s MVP last year, and a representative on Team Australia in this season’s Australian Baseball League All-Star Game. 

“He leads by example,” said Shayne Watson, former teammate of Roberts and current third base coach for the Bandits. “He won’t ask of anyone anything that he doesn’t do himself. He just expects the same as what he delivers [to the team]. That’s probably him in a nutshell right there, as a team leader.”

Roberts is not only a leader, but also a team player in every sense of the word. The only task on his mind during practices or games is to help his team at any and all costs, despite what it might mean in the sense of his own accomplishments. 

“My only goal is to help get us to the playoffs,” Roberts said. “I don’t care if I hit .200, as long as we get there. If I’ve got to ground out to get the guy over 100 times for the rest of the season, that’s what I’m going to do.”

Fortunately for Brisbane fans, the 25-year-old is hitting nowhere near the Mendoza Line, the number he eluded to. In the most recent series against Melbourne, Roberts batted .473 (9-for-19) with two home runs, a double, six runs scored and he drove in five runs.

He leads the entire league with 14 doubles, and is just one away from cracking the record for two-base hits from last season. The outfielder also ranks among league leaders in average (.313), extra-base hits (21), total bases (85) and RBI (29).

Roberts wouldn’t be aware of any of this though, because he doesn’t look at his stats during the season. He’s more concerned about how he can help the team than what he’s doing on his own.

“I try not to think about it,” he said. “I just come out here and play. Because if you start thinking about that kind of stuff, you start trying too hard, and it doesn’t work out for you.”

What’s the most important thing that Roberts hopes that he can contribute to the Bandits on an everyday basis?

“My work ethic, hopefully,” Roberts said. “Hopefully people can see that I work hard and play the game hard and hopefully they can feed off of that.”

Working hard and playing hard seems to be the name of the game for many Australian players and veteran baseballers. Roberts, like many of his teammates, puts in a full day of hard labour before heading to the ballpark for stretching, training and games, and often uses up his holidays for road trips or other baseball-related activities.

It’s this kind of dedication that makes the ABL a great place to play however, as guys would not participate if not for the love of the game.

“If you don’t just play for love, then you’re not going to play,” Roberts said of the league. “Over [in America], you’re trying to prove to people that you can play, and you’re trying to get up to the next level. So really, you’re playing for yourself, whereas here it’s more of a team atmosphere.”

Having signed with the Cleveland Indians at the young age of just 17, the Bandits captain found out firsthand what playing overseas was like very early on. Though it was a great experience and he got to live the dream of signing a professional contract, the team environment seems to suit Roberts better.

“You have more fun as a team,” he said. “In the States you obviously have fun, but here you go everywhere as a team and everyone wants to do things together.”

On Tuesday night during batting practice, Roberts led a game of bat-and-baseball-style cricket in the cages, engaging several of his teammates well beyond the length of the training session. It’s that kind of team togetherness and familiarity that will help the Bandits in their push for the post-season.

“I think we’re coming together a little more [as a team],” Watson said. “With us being close in the hunt [for playoffs] and feeling confident that we can get some wins out of our pitching staff and knowing that we can put runs on the board, I think a lot of the guys are confident. It helps with our camaraderie within the team.”

Kenny Wilson, of the Canberra Cavalry and the Blue Jays farm system

Though it might be a surprise to baseball fans in Canada, the Toronto Blue Jays have had a significant history in the Australian Baseball League.

Toronto’s roots in its fellow commonwealth country began the first time the ABL was in action, seeing some big-name minor leaguers spend their off-seasons down under, getting in time and at-bats before heading back overseas to work their way up in the Blue Jays farm system. When the league was around previously, it saw Vernon Wells in a Sydney Storm uniform, Shannon Stewart playing for the Sydney Blues and Homer Bush was the league’s batting champion as a member of the Brisbane Bandits.

Prior to sending prospects John Tolisano and Kenny Wilson to the Canberra Cavalry this ABL season, the Blue Jays missed out on the option of sending players to Australia for winter ball, as the league went on a 10-year hiatus between 2001 and 2010. The break in play probably contributed to the lack of general knowledge that players and fans in the northern hemisphere have of the ABL.

“I didn’t know anything about it,” Wilson said of the league. “I knew it was fairly new [this time around] and they said they hadn’t played in like 10 years or something like that. It was all new to me though. I didn’t know anything about it.”

After Wilson’s season was cut short in Class-A Advanced Dunedin over the North American summer, the Blue Jays thought his winter might be well-spent in the Aussie league. The 21-year-old played only 48 games for the Florida State League team due to a torn left labrum injury that required surgery in June.

Doug Davis, Blue Jays Minor League Field Coordinator, asked Wilson if he would be interested in playing winter ball, and the outfielder packed up and hopped on a very long plane ride to Canberra. Before his journey across the world, Wilson tried to gather as much information as he could about the league and the competition.

“I tried to look up stadiums and team names and people who have played here and people who were going to be here this year,” he said. “But I mean that’s about all I could find on the league.”

Helping Wilson with the transition from Blue Jays baseball to the Australian game was highly-touted Jays prospect John Tolisano, who finished up the 2011 season in Double-A with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, champions of the Eastern League. Though the two Toronto farmhands started the ABL season together, Tolisano suffered a shoulder injury during the second week of play, sending him home for the year.

The switch-hitting 23-year-old got off to a torrid start, earning him Player of the Week honours in Round 1 of ABL action. While Tolisano’s presence is missed in the Cavalry lineup, the Blue Jays are still represented on the field and at the dish as Wilson gets ready for Spring Training.

“I’m just trying to make consistent, solid contact with the ball, not necessarily trying to hit .300 or anything,” Wilson said of his goals during his time down under. “I want to try to get on base. To me, getting on base is more important than my batting average because I can steal and we can score runs.”

Through 33 games in the ABL, the Tampa native is batting .248/.325/.376 with three home runs, eight doubles, 20 RBI and 10 walks. Wilson has 10 stolen bases, getting caught on the basepaths only one time. While his speed is an asset to the team, the young outfielder points to his 25 strikeouts as an area where he needs the most improvement.

“I definitely want to cut down on my strikeouts and try and get on base more,” Wilson said. “I’m just looking to score runs and get on base. I want to hit a little bit and just keep working on my defense and stealing bags and stuff like that.”

As Wilson continues to work toward Spring Training back at home in Florida, the comeback from his torn labrum would be complete if he can just find himself with a team out of camp.

“I’m just hoping that I still have a job,” he said of where he hopes to be at the end of March. “A job is never set in stone so I want to go into Spring Training and play hard. Hopefully I can break camp with a team and be in Dunedin or Double-A or whatever it is, but that’s my main goal. I just want to make a full-season team.”

Although he has seemingly simple short-term objectives, Wilson is constantly pushing himself to get the next level, but is most proud of what he’s already been able to accomplish.  Getting drafted by the Blue Jays in the second round (63^rd overall) of the 2008 draft was something the current Canberra outfielder had always dreamed of. Just 18 years old at the time, the decision wasn’t a tough one for Wilson, who earned $644,000 as a signing bonus.

“The money was right for me and my family and we felt that the decision we made was the right one,” he said. “I definitely wanted to go to college but I’ve always wanted to play pro ball and I didn’t want to pass up the opportunity.”

With his college education paid for whenever he decides to pursue it, Wilson is happy just playing baseball day in and day out for right now. Getting the opportunity to take the field on a regular basis in Canberra, he’s found that there is much to enjoy about the league in Australia.

“The best thing is the guys here and the camaraderie we have,” Wilson said. “We don’t always have the best facilities or the best locker rooms or anything like that but we make the best of it. We joke around and we just have fun. It’s a lot of fun out here.”

The scout who signed Rory Rhodes (Aussie version)

As far as baseball influences go, many of the biggest are American-born. After all, it is America’s favourite pastime.

It would make sense then that the man who’s been one of the most influential people in Australian baseball and has had a huge impact on the Canadian game, was born in Madison, Wisconsin.

Howie Norsetter is in the International Scouting Coordinator for the Minnesota Twins. He currently resides in Australia, but his territory also includes parts of Asia and Europe. Though the 21-year scout no longer covers Canada, Norsetter spent the summers during the first 10 years of his career in the Great White North, and the winters down under.

While New Westminster, British Columbia native Justin Morneau is likely to be considered the most successful signing Norsetter has made out of Canada, he’s signed more Australian players than any other scout during the span of his career. He has seen seven of them get to the big leagues, which is an impressive number considering there were only a total of nine Aussies in The Show last season.

“I’ve had a few [success stories out of Australia],” he said. “Grant Balfour is doing a great job and hopefully Liam Hendriks and Luke Hughes, too. [Balfour] I suppose is the most established major leaguer out of Australia.

“But it would be Michael Nakamura probably. People don’t realize what Michael Nakamura’s done in professional baseball. He made it to the major leagues and then went over to Japan and won a championship in Japan. He set a record for saves as the closer with the Nippon Ham Fighters. In the playoffs I think he got three saves in the championship series and he didn’t give up a run in those games. He was just lights out in Japan. Outside of the major leagues, it would definitely be Michael Nakamura.”

Though the weather is better for baseball in Australia than the Great White North, giving the players down under the potential to flourish in the game and providing access to more playing time, the sport is still bigger in Canada. The success rate is seemingly higher and Norsetter believes the biggest difference between the commonwealth countries is the approach to the game.

“Australia always had better amateur teams...but for some reason those guys from Canada just really came out in Canada in the majors, in the professional ranks and up to the major leagues,” Norsetter said. “They’ve had tremendous success. Three MVPs, they have Joey Votto and they have Morneau. Larry Walker was a little bit before but there are three MVPs out of Canada. And then you have Eric Gagne, the Cy Young winner and there are all-stars left and right. They’ve got a catcher, a couple first basemen, they’ve got outfielders, and they’d have a whole pitching staff with Rich Harden, Ryan Dempster, Chris Reitsma, Erik Bedard and Jeff Francis. You’d have a whole pitching staff in the major leagues with a bunch of relievers.

“Part of it is that they play a lot more baseball in Canada, even though they don’t have the climate. Morneau played 120 games in high school in his summer season. I think one year he had 44 home runs in four months. They play as soon as the ice comes out and they’re playing every day, in tournaments, on the weekends, sometimes they’re playing three or four games a day.

“Over here, all they do is practice. The kids over here don’t have the base that Canadians have. Plus a lot of those Canadians have gone on to college and universities and improved out of universities...they’ve progressed, whereas these Australian kids haven’t. Maybe that will change. Joshua Spence went to college and came out of college and now he’s in the big leagues. Maybe that will help more Australians follow that route. I don’t think they play enough over here at a very young age.”

One young Norsetter signee that did manage to start playing t-ball when he was just five years old, Rory Rhodes, is trying to work his way up the ranks of the Minnesota Twins system as he continues to progress in the Australian Baseball League for the Brisbane Bandits.

With two years of minor league service time under his belt, Rhodes is back in the ABL this summer after playing for the short-season Elizabethton Twins in the Appalachian League during the North American baseball season.

The infielder and designated hitter batted .261/.363/.389 in rookie ball last year, after tearing up the Gulf Coast League in 2010. In his second GCL season, Rhodes hit .319/.410/.407 in 27 games for the Twins, earning him the promotion to Elizabethton. He’s looking forward to heading back to Spring Training in February and trying to move further up the Twins ladder, perhaps getting a chance to play for the Class A Beloit Snappers.

“I’m hoping to be in Low A coming out of spring, which would be in Beloit, Wisconsin,” Rhodes said. “I’m pretty confident that I’ll be going there but anything more would just be a bonus after that.”

Norsetter first saw the Brisbane Bandits slugger when he was 14 years old, and Rhodes signed at 17. Though the Twins scout is keeping a close eye on the now 20-year-old, he doesn’t pay any mind to his numbers in the ABL, instead focusing on his development.

“The Australian Baseball League is a little different deal because the players are in their off-season and they start off just recovering from the previous season and then they try to get back into it,” Norsetter said. “But the ABL we don’t pay any attention to stats. When I saw [Rhodes] last year I was really happy with the way he progressed. He ran faster, he was runner better than he had as an amateur, he had a short swing and he hit some balls really far and really hard.”

And though Norsetter isn’t tracking any of Rhodes’ statistics this season, he continues to follow each and every one of his signees.

“Scouts live and die with the players,” he said. “They have a bad day, we have a bad day.”

The scout who signed Justin Morneau (Canadian version)

As far as baseball influences go, many of the biggest are American-born. After all, it is America’s favourite pastime.

It would make sense then that the man who’s been one of the most influential people in Australian baseball and has had a huge impact on the Canadian game, was born in Madison, Wisconsin.

Howie Norsetter is in the International Scouting Coordinator for the Minnesota Twins. His current residence is in Australia, though his territory includes parts of Asia and Europe. Though the 21-year scout no longer covers Canada, for the first 10 years of his career he would spend the summers in the Great White North and the winters down under.

Though he’s found great success in several different pockets of the world, his biggest effect on the Canadian game occurred when he signed Justin Morneau.

“It’s not often you get an MVP,” Norsetter said of signing the Minnesota Twins first baseman. “That’s a career in itself. There was Morneau and also [Corey] Koskie, they were two very successful players out of Canada.”

While signing a high school player out of New Westminster, BC may have seemed like a long shot for a future MVP, Norsetter saw what Morneau could potentially bring to Minnesota, as the most advanced high-school hitter that he had ever seen. And the scout couldn’t be more pleased with Morneau’s accomplishments.

“It was great for him,” Norsetter said of Morneau’s MVP Award. “I guess I was proud. I was proud for him because I knew where he came from and how hard he had to work and what kind of individual he was. Nobody ever gave Justin Morneau anything. He had to work for everything he’s ever achieved in life. He’s just sensational. I’m just so happy for him and his family.”

While the 30-year-old Minnesota Twin is certainly the most successful sign Norsetter has had out of Canada, he’s also signed more Australian players than any other scout and has seen seven of them get to the big leagues, an impressive number considering there were only nine total Aussies in The Show last season.

“I’ve had a few [success stories out of Australia],” he said. “Grant Balfour is doing a great job and hopefully Liam Hendriks and Luke Hughes, too. [Balfour] I suppose is the most established major leaguer out of Australia.

“But it would be Michael Nakamura probably. People don’t realize what Michael Nakamura’s done in professional baseball. He made it to the major leagues and then went over to Japan and won a championship in Japan. He set a record for saves as the closer with the Nippon Ham Fighters. In the playoffs I think he got three saves in the championship series and he didn’t give up a run in those games. He was just lights out in Japan. Outside of the major leagues, it would definitely be Michael Nakamura.”

Though the weather is better for baseball in Australia, giving the players down under the potential to flourish in the game and providing access to more playing time, the sport is still bigger in Canada. The success rate is seemingly higher and Norsetter believes the biggest difference between the commonwealth countries is the approach to the game.

“Australia always had better amateur teams...but for some reason those guys from Canada just really came out in Canada in the majors, in the professional ranks and up to the major leagues,” Norsetter said. “They’ve had tremendous success. Three MVPs, they have Votto and they have Morneau. Walker was a little bit before but there are three MVPs out of Canada. And then you have Gagne, the Cy Young winner and there are all-stars left and right. They’ve got a catcher, a couple first basemen, they’ve got outfielders, and they’d have a whole pitching staff with Harden, Dempster, Reitsma, Bedard and Francis. You’d have a whole pitching staff in the major leagues with a bunch of relievers.

“Part of it is that they play a lot more baseball in Canada, even though they don’t have the climate. Morneau played 120 games in high school in his summer season. I think one year he had 44 home runs in four months. They play as soon as the ice comes out and they’re playing every day, in tournaments, on the weekends, sometimes they’re playing three or four games a day.

“Over here, all they do is practice. The kids over here don’t have the base that Canadians have. Plus a lot of those Canadians have gone on to college and universities and improved out of universities...they’ve progressed, whereas these Australian kids haven’t. Maybe that will change. Joshua Spence went to college and came out of college and now he’s in the big leagues. Maybe that will help more Australians follow that route. I don’t think they play enough over here at a very young age.”

Though the Australian scout’s coverage no longer includes Canada, his impact on both the game of baseball and the scouting game are apparent. In 2007, he won the Toronto Sun Scout of the Year award, and he still has a soft spot for the country up north.

“I have a lot of fond memories of my times in Canada and a lot of good friends,” Norsetter said. “I think the Canadian baseball community is outstanding. It’s a fun place to work, there are good people to work with and some of the best times I ever had scouting were up in Canada. It was really special [winning the Toronto Sun award], especially knowing some of the other scouts that have won that award.”

One of the biggest influences on Norsetter’s own career have come from his dealings with a Canuck. He credits Bob Prentice, a member of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in the builder category, for teaching him how to do things the right way.  

“Bob Prentice was one of the first people I met as a young scout,” Norsetter said. “He was just a wonderful human being and gentleman and I learned some things from him that have stuck with me so it was quite gratifying.”

What was the biggest thing the American took from his Canadian counterpart?

“His integrity,” Norsetter said of Prentice. “I think that was the most important thing. We had a situation where we liked a player named Rob Giesbrecht, who was a softball player and we had an agreement to sign. It wasn’t a lot of money and he was a good prospect. Bob Prentice walked in after us and the dad said, ‘Well we love the Blue Jays. They’re fantastic and we’re Blue Jays fans but we already have this agreement with the Minnesota Twins.’ Bob said, ‘Well you have that agreement, you need to stick with that agreement. Your word is the most important thing you’ve got.’

“It was pretty impressive because he could have just thrown out an extra five thousand dollars or an extra thousand dollars and gotten the player but he had integrity. Everybody had a lot of respect for him. He did things the right way. He was a fine representative for baseball in general and especially for Canadian baseball.”