The first month of the Summer 2022 season is in the books! With the departure of the Central Rays and the re-branding of the Pacific Hurricanes, this season is featuring 7 teams, including the new look Kaanapali Coast Monarchs. After 4 weeks every team has picked up at least 1 win, and only the Makena Royals remain undefeated.
The Player of the Month candidates listed below were selected based on their performances during August games, with no more than one candidate per team. Voting is open to players, fans, and family, and is limited to 1 vote per individual. This month’s award is brought to you by Eskimo Candy (eskimocandy.com, @eskimo_candy). Eskimo Candy has been selling the freshest seafood, and the finest meat & poultry at the best prices on Maui since 1987. In addition to some Maui Adult Baseball League swag, the winner of this month’s POTM poll will receive a $25 gift card for Eskimo Candy that can be used for any of their dine in, take out, or wholesale options!
The West Maui Brewers’ Mike Abercrombie is off to a hot start to the Summer 2022 season, leading the league in hits (8) and total bases (13) through his team’s first three games. Abercrombie is hitting .615 (8 for 13) with a pair of doubles and a home run, with three multi-hit games to open the season.
Welcome back Jerry Ayala! The Pirates’ righthander is 1-1 with a 1.64 ERA over 11.0 IP to start the season. In a tough luck loss against the Warriors on August 21, Ayala struck out 6 and allowed just 1 earned run over 6 innings of work.
The Kaanapali Coast Monarchs’ Anthony Benigno has been leading the charge for his new squad. The two-time MABL batting champ is hitting .600 (6 for 10) with two runs scored and two driven in, to go along with 3 stolen bases, through his team’s first 3 games.
John Lamb of the Lahaina Warriors has been getting it done on both sides of the ball. On the mound, the former Major Leaguer is 3-0 with a 0.59 ERA over 15.1 innings. Lamb’s 26 strike outs lead the league by a significant margin, and opposing hitters are batting only .117 against the southpaw. At the plate, John is batting .500 (7 for 14) with a double and a pair of runs batted in for the Warriors.
Isaiah Maddela of the Makena Royals has had a pair of monster games to start the season. The reigning MABL HR Derby champ is leading the league with a .750 batting average (6 for 8) to go along with 4 runs scored and 5 RBIs. Maddela’s 10th inning home run on August 21 against the Kihei Centipedes provided the eventual winning runs in that contest.
Joe Smith has been a run producing machine in the middle of the Upcountry Dirtbags’ lineup. Through his first 4 games, Smith leads the league with 8 runs batted in, batting .357 (5 for 14) with a pair of doubles over that span.
Ryan Swindle has led the charge for the Kihei Centipedes by batting .538 (7 for 13) with a league best 4 extra base hits through 4 games. Swindle’s 7 runs are tops in the league through the first month of the season.
Check out the stats page for complete hitting and pitching stats for every player in the league, and cast your vote below for the MABL Player of the Month for August 2022. The poll will remain open through September 6.
Vote for the MABL Player of the Month
- Isaiah Maddela (44%, 93 Votes)
- Ryan Swindle (28%, 59 Votes)
- Anthony Benigno (9%, 20 Votes)
- John Lamb (9%, 19 Votes)
- Mike Abercrombie (6%, 13 Votes)
- Joe Smith (2%, 4 Votes)
- Jerry Ayala (1%, 3 Votes)
Total Voters: 211
Loading ...
This dude rules!
It’s in the genes!
I promised I’d never tell this story because the man is humble but here we are. I don’t know if any y’uns knew that about half way through the second try at fourth grade, our boy Ryan Swindle was on a walk through the Everglades behind the ‘ol homestead with his grand pappy when the elder Swindle came down with a bum ankle and reckoned there wasn’t no way he’d be getting back up that there humid day. As luck would have it, Ryan had recently joined up with the school’s speed whittlin’ club and word round the schoolyard was that his whittlin’ couldn’t be beat. Anyway, while he was whittlin’ his grand pappy an old growth walkin’ stick, a big hungry gator right slithered up just behind them’s whittlin’ a walkin’ stick and them’s need’en a walkin’ stick. Well listen you here because I ain’t gonna say it again, but Ryan’s grand pappy did holler somethin’ wild when that gator took the murderous lunge. But that young Ryan did swing that mostly complete walkin’ stick (havin’ whittled at a pace you ain’t never seen), and he swung that stick—now technically a swingin’ stick—with all the power that love and fear can muster. Well, I’ll be fried frog legs on a plate if that gator’s head didn’t come clean off and sail on into the next county. After that Ryan’s grand pappy lept up straight into a jig, later admittin’ he done faked the whole ankle thing to get a good look at that speed whittlin’ and instead being the first on this green earth to see the master slugger at work. The two walked on home with a mean kick in their step and Ryan’s been sluggin’ away ever since. Ain’t whittled a thing since that swingin’ stick tho, always mutterin’ somethin’ bout superstition. Here’s my vote for the younger Swindle hear hear!
Sir, this is a Wendy’s.