All-Time Top ABL Players: #15-11

Welcome back for the second installment of our Top 20 ABL Players of All Time. If you missed the first batch, #20-16, you might want to check that out first. Today I'll cover five more, but before we get into that, I'd like to make a quick acknowledgment. Special thanks go out to my good friend Aaron Angerman who gave me some feedback and helped me solidify my final rankings. Thank dude! OK, now on to the rankings:

#15: Terry Francona - Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks, 1978
Terry Francona took the Alaska League by storm, sporting a shaggy hair-do and a .312 average in '78. His major league career as a player would be slightly less fabulous; he cut his hair and his average by a significant amount, and spent most of his playing days signed to one-year contracts. But his role in baseball history is not significant as a player as much as a manager. In 2004 he managed the Boston Red Sox to a World Series championship -- becoming the first Panner to skipper a Major League club to the championship. 


Photo courtesy of Goldpanners.com


#14: Keith Foulke - Anchorage Bucs, 1993
Foulke stands out as one of the premier relievers of the late 1990's and early 2000's. With career numbers of 3.33 ERA/718 K/191 SV, his standout season came in 2003 when he led the AL in saves and games finished, earned a spot on the All-Star roster, and picked up the Relief Man of the Year trophy. His career in the Majors was cut short by several injuries, but he's still working in the independent Atlantic League with the Newark Bears. Wherever his career takes him from here, he will also be remembered for one last notable feat: breaking the Curse of the Bambino in 2004, when he closed out the final game of the series for the Red Sox and fielded the final out.



#13: Eric Karros - North Pole Nicks, 1987
In Karros' 14 Major League seasons he very rarely put up jaw-dropping numbers. Other than his Rookie of the Year season he didn't really win any awards. But every single year he put up numbers that were pretty good. It was his consistency that was the key to his career. Karros could always be counted on to hit about .260, drive in 100 RBI and knock 30 homers. After putting together a string of 30-HR, 100-RBI seasons during the prime of his career he quietly amassed some pretty good numbers. He cruised into the 1000 RBI club and just missed 300 home runs all while flying under the radar. It might be sad that he didn't get more recognition during his career, but today he's recognized as one of the greatest products of the ABL.

#12: JT Snow - Peninsula Oilers, 1987
Snow, the scrappy switch-hitter who played the biggest and most memorable portion of his career with the San Francisco Giants, was known for his stellar defense. His glove was so good, in fact, that he took home six consecutive Gold Glove awards at first base from 1995-2000. Snow was known as a classy guy and was a fan favorite. He was so adored by the San Francisco fans that he was allowed to come out of retirement for one game in 2008 so that he could retire as a Giant.

#11: Jeff Cirillo - Peninsula Oilers, 1989
Another top player on our list, and list of ABL players to play for the Milwaukee Brewers, is Jeff Cirillo of the '89 Oilers. The two-time All Star was known for his stellar defense, as well as hitting for a high average...when he played for Milwaukee on two separate stints. Oddly, when playing for another team, he didn't do so well. That being said, his career average still stands at a highly respectable .296 and he is the co-holder of a defensive record: 99 consecutive error-less games. Another bit of trivia (and a hint at players to come):  Cirillo crossed paths with fellow ABL-alum Randy Johnson, and became his 4,000th strikeout victim. A dubious honor, perhaps, but not enough to keep Cirillo from making our top 20.

Previous Rankings: #20-16