Australian Baseball League

The Australian Baseball League was formed in 2029 with 8 founding members.

  • Adelaide Surge – 1 ABL Title (2029)
    • The Adelaide Surge took home the inaugural ABL Championship in 2029, yet are better known for their 2034 campaign in which they finished with a 58-20-2 record, the best mark in the ABL to date. Maybe even more well-known, however, is that they were then swept in the ABL championship by the Canberra Cadets, giving Canberra their first title, and keeping the 2029 season as the most memorable for the Surge faithful.
  • Brisbane Rush – 4 ABL Titles (2030-33)
    • No ABL team has come close to the 4-year stretch that the Brisbane Rush were able to put together from 2030-33. In each of those four seasons, the Rush finished the regular season in second place, but would go on to win the title. The first three of those title wins came at the expense of the first place Canberra Cadets, who lost 3-2 in both the 2030 and 2032 Championship Series. The final title came in the way of a three game sweep over the Gold Coast Defenders. Outside of those four title runs, the Rush have found themselves in the bottom half of the standings. Brisbane have yet to finish a season above .500 since 2033.
  • Canberra Cadets – 2 ABL Titles (2034, 37)
    • Although the Cadets have only taken home two ABL titles, they currently hold the highest all-time winning percentage in league history at .573 (402-299-23). Right fielder Marshall Cornell, who played for Canberra from 2029-33, currently sits in second in all-time positional WAR with 17.8. Cornell also took home two ABL MVP awards following the 2030 and 2033 seasons. While the Cadets are one of the smallest markets in the ABL, owner Brandon Pond and GM Arnold Webster (2034-present) have put together a winning culture in Canberra.
  • Gold Coast Defenders
    • Gold Coast is another small market team, but they have yet to find the same amount of success as Canberra. The Defenders one highlight season saw them finish in 1st place, but ended in a three game sweep in the ABL Championship Series to Brisbane. Gold Coast had been a consistent fixture in the middle of the table for years until their recent run of form has the team searching for answers. The Defenders found themselves at the bottom of the standings in back-to-back seasons in 2036-37, and now look to recapture their 2033 magic.
  • Melbourne Kernels
    • The Melbourne Kernels are one of two ABL teams yet to appear in the playoffs. While they have gotten awfully close (3rd place finishes in 2030, 33, & 35), they continue the hunt. Melbourne is one of the largest markets in Australia, with a fanbase dying to see quality baseball.
  • Newcastle Alligators
    • The other team yet to make an ABL playoff appearance, the New Castle Alligators have yet to finish above the 4th place mark. A much smaller market than Melbourne, the Alligators aren’t able to throw as much money at their problems. New Castle has, however, been a more consistent team, with an all-time record of 330-374-20, better than both Melbourne and Perth.
  • Perth Seals
    • After seven straight seasons of finishing 6th or worse in the ABL, the Perth Seals have completely flipped the script over the past two seasons. The Seals made their first playoff appearance in 2036, when they finished with a club record 47 wins. They followed up their first winning campaign with another, narrowly missing out on another championship appearance in 2038. This run of success coincides with the hiring of Belgian manager Berend de Pagter, who had previously managed the Frankfurt AA squad. Can the Seals keep it up, or will they find themselves folding back into a cellar dweller?
  • Sydney Mallards – 2 ABL Titles (2035-36)
    • The final original ABL squad is also the team with the most success over the past three seasons, taking home two championships and losing out on a threepeat. The Mallard’s 2036 season ranks 3rd all-time in wins (54) and winning percentage (.684). Their 3-2 loss in the 2037 ABL Championship kept them from chasing Brisbane’s record run of 4. Sydney is the largest market in Australia, and the franchise is finally putting it’s money to good use.

The sport of baseball has caught on quickly in Australia, and that has already shown on the World stage, with the Australian National Team taking home the 2031 World Baseball Tournament title. Many ABL insiders believe the league is primed for expansion in the coming years, and rumor has it that league owners are pushing for a 4-team playoff format.