The winter leagues outside the U.S. give prospects and ex-Major Leaguers a chance to work on their game before 2025. The Australian Baseball League (ABL) doesn’t have the pedigree compared to the Dominican Winter League. However, there are some notable MLB prospects who’ve done well down under this winter.
Best Hitters
The Australian Baseball League doesn’t have the talent level that LIDOM has, when comparing winter leagues. However, there is plenty of pro talent abound, including names that fans likely heard of during the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
Australian national team players Alex Hall, Robbie Glendinning, and Ulrich Bojarski are all playing down under in 2024-25. Bojarski and Hall, by the way, are among the top six in the circuit in total bases. The same can be said for Greg Bird, the former Yankee first baseman who had limited success at the MLB level.
Bird hit .312/.405/.504 with six home runs and 63 total bases in the ABL, good for fourth in the circuit. Between the Mexican and Australian Leagues, Bird has hit a combined .315/.401/.556 with 23 home runs and 76 RBI.
The 32-year-old last played affiliated baseball in 2022, in Scranton (AAA) with the Yankees.
Despite a lot of talent — and ones with MLB experience — in the ABL, the two best performers down in Australia this winter have been Royals prospects.
One of those names would be Brennon McNair, an 11th-round pick back in 2021. McNair, who signed for a $347.5K bonus four years ago, hit a league-high 11 home runs and 70 total bases with Brisbane. However, he’s also struck out 40 times, third-most in the league.
McNair has dealt with strikeout problems in his Minor League career, with a 35.6% K% over the last two seasons in Low-A. He’s shown some pop and bat speed at the pro level. But, not a ton of consistency. McNair’s posted sub-.700 OPS figures in 2023 and 2024.
The other Royal prospect who’s had a good winter down under is Hyungchan Um. He’s a catcher in an organization filled with depth at the position. Um hit .283/.333/.528 with eight home runs and 67 total bases over 34 games with Brisbane, playing alongside McNairl.
The 20-year-old has had more success in the Minors compared to McNair.
Um is an interesting hitter. There’s some pop in his toolset, despite only posting a .380 SLG in 2024. He possesses a short swing and can work counts. Last season, Um walked 37 times (11.8% BB%).
Best Pitchers
The list of top strikeout pitchers in the ABL this winter includes a handful of former Major Leaguers, including Alex Wells and Shawn Morimando. Morimando, who last pitched in the Majors in 2021, struck out 46 and walked only seven over 46.1 IP. Wells, the former Oriole, struck out 50 over 52.
Alex’s brother, Lachlan Wells, is the league leader in strikeouts (62). Lachlan is nine ahead of Jack Mahoney — not to be confused with the Rockies prospect — and ex-Mets prospect Gunnar Kines.
Aside from thos names, there aren’t a ton of well-known pitchers in the ABL, aside from ex-Major Leaguers Dovydas Neverauskas & Warwick Saupold, and ex-MLB prospects Daniel McGrath, Evan Rutckyj, and infielder-turned-pitcher Tzu-Wei Lin.
However, one interesting name abroad is Ryusei Yamada. The 24-year-old Yamada, who’s been a strong reliever in the Yomiuri Giants’ bullpen over the last two seasons, has struck out 43 over 25.2 IP with Adelaide this season.
Stats as of January 13.