All-Time Top ABL Players: Introduction, plus Players #20-16

This is the first post in what should be a long weekly series covering the top 20 ABL players of all time. Today I'm going to cover the first five players. Next Tuesday we'll look at players 15-11 on the list; and then every Tuesday after that I will reveal another player until we count down to the #1 ABL player of all time.

Before we launch into the first look, I want to talk briefly about some of the criteria I used. First of all, I excluded players who played for ABL teams prior to 1974. Although this excludes some great Panners and Pilots such as Dave Winfield, there wasn't actual ABL league play prior to this point. Also, I'm judging based on total baseball career, particularly MLB play, not necessarily those who had the best stint in the ABL. For this reason I'm looking at players who are either retired or whose careers are kind of in the twilight. This excludes talented players such as Jacoby Ellsbury.

OK, enough of that. On to the list.



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#20: Dan Plesac - AK Goldpanners of Fairbanks, 1981
When it comes to throwing a baseball, Plesac did it all. He was a starter, he was a closer, he was a left-handed specialist. That type of flexibility is probably what allowed him to stick around the majors for 18 years. Plesac ranks high in a lot of all-time statistical categories, mainly by virtue of having stuck around for so long. That's not to say he wasn't good, because he was good enough to earn three All-Star appearances, which is pretty good for anyone. But before all that, he was a Panner.

(Thanks to Goldpanners.com for the Photo!)

#19: Craig Counsell - Mat-Su Miners, 1991
Counsell, a 1991 ABL veteran, is still active in Major League Baseball, having just signed a one-year contract with the Milwaukee Brewers. But his 14-year career has grizzled him enough to qualify him for consideration on this list. Craig has never been a huge power hitter, or carried a high average other than a few seasons here and there, but he has displayed solid defense throughout his career and has shown a knack for coming through in the post-season. Counsell has a pair of World Series rings to his credit: one in 2001 with the Diamondbacks, in which he walked to load the bases, and one back in 1997 with the Marlins in which he scored the winning run in the 11th inning. In addition, he has a 2001 NLCS MVP award to his name. The fact that he's put himself in position to help his teams win championships is enough for him to crack the top-20 list.


#18: Rich Aurilia - Peninsula Oilers, 1990
Like Counsell, Rich Aurilia broke into the majors in 1995 and is now winding down. When people think of Aurilia, they almost always picture him in the uniform of the San Francisco Giants, the team he came up to the big leagues with, and -- despite being shuffled around to a few different clubs in recent years -- the team he is likely to finish his career with. The height of Aurilia's career came in 2001, when he hit .324 with 37 HR and 97 RBI; good enough to earn an NL All-Star spot and a Silver Slugger trophy. But the crowning achievement came in 2008 when he homered for his 1500th career hit.

#17: Geoff Jenkins - Anchorage Bucs, 1993
Geoff Jenkins ranks second place on two all-time team records. The first one is for the Anchorage Bucs, in season average, at .421. The other one is career home runs in a Brewers uniform, at 212. The slugger, whose career is likely near an end if it hasn't come to a close already, may not have spent a long time at the top of the baseball world, but when he was in his prime he was one of the game's best power hitters and a mainstay of the Milwaukee lineup. After signing with Philadelphia for the 2008 season, Jenkins capped off his career with a World Series ring.

(Thanks to AnchorageBucs.com for the Photo!)

#16 Bobby Thigpen - Peninsula Oilers, 1984
Bobby Thigpen may never make the Hall of Fame, but when he was in the prime of his nine-year career he put up the kind of statistics that most closers can only dream about. This includes a record that stood unbroken for 18 years: 57 saves in a single season, which would not be topped until Francisco Rodriguez came along in 2008. During that record-breaking season in 1990, the White Sox' fireman earned an All-Star nod, came in 4th in Cy Young voting and 5th for AL MVP. Though, like many closers, he burned out relatively fast, he finished up with a respectable 201 career saves. Not too shabby.

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Those are the first five players on our list of ABLers who have gone on to greatness. Check back next Tuesday for players 15-10, and then every Tuesday after as we count down to the #1 ABL player of all time! In the mean time, leave me a comment to let me know how terrible you think my rankings are.