Ranking the Most Untouchable Records in RDBL History

As we dove deep into the Roger Dorn Baseball League Archives and refreshed the League's Record Book this month, some legendary performances over the first 10 season of play certainly stood out. While some Records have already stood the test of time, like Clayton Kershaw's dominance in our inaugural 2013 Season, more recent performances are just as impressive.

17 RDBL Records were broken in a historic 2023 Season, led by the Spokane Fightin' Fish who continue to take Franchise numbers to new heights as they broke seven marks themselves. As we dove deeper into the numbers, we came up with the top five most untouchable records in Roger Dorn Baseball League History in an exploration that showed just how much the game has changed since 2013.

Full Season Points by RDBL Team

Record: 9,388.0, Mt. Diablo Devils

Season: 2015

The 2015 Roger Dorn Baseball League season quickly became a showdown of two East Bay Division foes as the Cloverdale Clovers and Mt. Diablo Devils battled throughout the summer for the League Title. The season saw a flurry of trade activity as 2015 marked the third season since the league inception, resulting in the majority of the star power facing expiring contracts for the first time, leading to a summer arms race.

While the Danville Aristocrats and San Mateo Short Stacks attempted to keep pace, by mid-July the Devils and Clovers had distanced themselves in the final 10 weeks as the clubs took turns making monster deals.

For every Clovers upgrade, the Devils had another bigger and more impactful deal to follow. The two clubs traded blows until the Devils planted the knockout punch. Just days after the Clovers announcing the addition of Buster Posey, Jake Arrieta and Brandon Belt, the Devils countered with Todd Frazier, Anthony Rizzo and starter Matt Harvey from the Lunatic Fringe while also adding Manny Machado, Clayton Kershaw, Max Scherzer, Troy Tulowitzki and Victor Martinez from the Danville Aristocrats in what felt like overkill to the competition.

With pre-season acquisition Bryce Harper leading the way and receiving the RDBL Hitter of the Year honors, the Devils pulled away in the final weeks en route to a RDBL Record 9,388 points and their first RDBL Championship in Franchise History.

With the change to the Playoff format in 2016 which keeps 6-8 teams in contention annually as buyers, we are unlikely to see a market allow a team overwhelm the competition like we did in 2015. Additionally, a continued decline in team pitching points has prevented any RDBL team from getting close in the last five seasons with only the 2019 Asti Grape Stompers, a historic team in its own right, coming with 241.0 points since 2016.

Individual Pitching Points for a Full Season

Record: 841.0 Points by Clayton Kershaw (Adler’s Man Crush)

Season: 2013

800 point seasons appeared to be the norm for top-end RDBL Pitching from 2013, the league’s inaugural season, through 2015 with six aces reaching the mark over that three season span. In the seven seasons to follow, no pitcher has eclipsed that mark in a trend that is only likely to continue with pitcher usage continuing to force a decline in innings per start across the league.

In the RDBL's Inaugural Season, Adler’s Man Crush left-hander Clayton Kershaw was untouchable as the future Hall of Famer averaged 25.5 points per start with a 1.83 ERA and 0.92 WHIP for Adler's Man Crush. His 236.0 innings pitched and eye-popping 27 quality starts in 33 chances stand out as elite numbers that aren’t soon to be matched.

The underlying story behind Kershaw’s historic inaugural season is that he was originally drafted by the Asti Grape Stompers who traded the future Hall of Famer to AMC for Mike Trout and pitching prospect Gerrit Cole. Trout himself would go on to post 625.5 points in 2013, a league record that stood until 2022 when Aaron Judge eclipsed the mark followed by Ronald Acuna in 2023.

Most Team Home Runs in RDBL Regular Season

Record: 350 Home Runs by Asti Grape Stompers

Season: 2019

It doesn’t take a Data Scientist to figure out that the ball was juiced in 2019, leading to an onslaught of home runs that likely won’t be matched any time soon. A MLB-Record 6,776 home runs were hit that season, 671 more than any other season with 14 MLB Franchises setting their own record marks. Of course, those ridiculous numbers carried over the RDBL as the top five Team Home Run totals in RDBL Regular Season History came in 2019, led by the Asti Grape Stompers who hit 350.

For reference, the next highest RDBL Regular Season Total outside of that 2019 season is 283 by the 2017 Spokane Fightin’ Fish who finished with the most hitting points in League History. So if RDBL’s best offense ever finished 67 home runs short of the Grapes 2019 mark, it’s a solid bet that the record is safe for quite awhile.

Most Individual Hitting Points in RDBL Playoffs

Record: 177.5 Points by Aaron Judge (Mission Viejo Maulers)

Season: 2022

Judge finished 2022 on an absolute tear in a record-breaking season that saw him capture both the RDBL Hitter of the Year and Playoff MVP Award. Over the final five periods, Judge slashed .385/.540/.817 with 13 home runs and eight doubles, totaling 177.5 points, breaking the previous record by 29.0 set by Jose Ramirez in 2017.

Judge averaged 35.5 points over the final five Periods, a mark that is going to be extremely difficult to match. 2023 Hitter of the Year and Playoff MVP Ronald Acuna, Jr. did his best, but still came up 22.0 points short of Judge’s mark this past season.

Most Individual Pitching Points in RDBL Playoffs

Record: 222.0 Points by Jack Flaherty (Cloverdale Clovers)

Season: 2019

The 2019 Season produced the top two pitching performances in RDBL Playoff History, but no hurler has come close to matching Jack Flaherty’s dominance that season for the Cloverdale Clovers. The right-hander was a workhorse, averaging over seven innings per start for a RDBL-Record 50.0 Playoff innings pitched, logging a 1.08 ERA and miniscule 0.62 WHIP as he allowed just 22 hits and nine walks. Flaherty went a perfect seven for seven in Quality Start opportunities, posting 222.0 points, 27.0 more than any other pitcher in RDBL History.

Much like Judge, the consistency of averaging 31.7 points per start over the final stretch of the season makes Flaherty’s performance legendary and a very difficult mark to break.

3 Up, 3 Down: Carter Shining in MLB Playoffs for Stacks

After a long break, we are back with the 3 Up, 3 Down Series featuring some standouts from the Major League Baseball Playoffs and Arizona Fall League. Roger Dorn Baseball League Front Office are in their quiet period with evaluations of the 2023 season still in progress before teams turn the page to 2024 when the Hot Stove will quickly heat up.

Evan Carter (Minors), Stacks

The Stacks Front Office wants to take a patient approach to their strong Farm System but Evan Carter is making it difficult to not sharpie in as an Opening Day activation for 2024. The 21 year old reached base in 10 of his first 11 Playoff at-bats and enters Thursday with a 1.167 OPS while hitting in the middle of the Rangers order. Alongside Corbin Carroll and discount hitters Josh Outman and Josh Lowe, the Stacks have a strong outfield core to build around for 2024.

Kyle Manzardo (Minors), Ducks

Manzardo was a hot name entering 2023 when the Ducks selected him 11th overall in the Reserve Draft. After a season in which he slugged 17 home runs between two levels and two organizations, Manzardo has shown off his power stroke in the desert. After homering in three straight games in the second week of the AFL, Manzardo, a lefty-hitting Washington State product, slammed two more longballs on Tuesday afternoon. Not only does Manzardo currently lead the AFL in home runs, he’s one off the total of six that Tyler Hardman and Matt Mervis hit last year when they led the league. He looks set to push for a big league role in 2024 for the Cleveland Guardians.

Royce Lewis (Minors), Falcons

A 2018 Reserve Draftee, Lewis has worked his way through multiple serious injuries but looks finally set to enter 2024 healthy and ready to cash in on his enormous upside for the Maltese Falcons. He hit .309 with 52 RBI in 58 regular season games before hitting four home runs in six playoff games and looks set to be one of potentially six activations for the Falcons for 2024, headlined by Pitching Prospect of the Year Eury Perez.

Team Pitching Points

With the use of starting pitchers continue to decline on an inning per start basis, RDBL Pitching Stats continue to plummet. The RDBL Regular Season produced 32,858 Pitching Points, the second lowest of the Playoff Era and the third consecutive decline in points since 2021.

Pitching Points by RDBL Regular Season

2023 Season 32858.0

2022 Season 35424.0

2021 Season 36272.0

2019 Season 31884.0

2018 Season 37310.0

2017 Season 33510.0

2016 Season 36965.0

The only lower season was 2019 when the baseball was clearly juiced. That season produced the five highest Team Home Run Totals in RDBL History, led by the Asti Grape Stompers who mashed 350 home runs in 22 Periods.

Sandy Alcantara, Free Agent

After a ridiculous 733.0 point season in 2022, RDBL Front Offices were counting down the days until Sandy Alcantara would complete his Rookie contract with the Lunatic Fringe and reach Free Agency. A monster deal will need to wait as Alcantara underwent Tommy John surgery and is expected to miss all of 2024. He'll join Shane McClanahan, Jacob deGrom, Brandon Woodruff, Drew Rasmussen and Felix Bautista as elite arms that RDBL clubs could round out their Active Rosters with in the 2024 Auction Draft.

Jokers Pitching Depth

The St. Joseph Jokers are coming off two of the six worst pitching seasons in RDBL History in 2022 and 2023 and will need to rebuild a rotation even further following news that Kyle Wright will miss all of next season after shoulder surgery. Wright was one of baseball's biggest breakouts in 2022, posting 452.0 points with a 3.19 ERA in 180 innings of work. That was all completed while still under a Minor League deal for Jokers GM Rick Steen. Expected to be a top activation for 2023, Wright's season never got on track as he managed just 31.0 innings for -11.0 total points and now will head back into Free Agency.

As currently projected, MacKenzie Gore (Minors) looks to be the only projected starter set to return for 2024.

State of the Franchise: Honolulu Hammerheads

We continue our State of the Franchise series with the Honolulu Hammerheads who finished 2023 in 10th Place, completing a frustrating season that saw most of their rotation knocked out by injuries. GM Ross Horiuchi joined the Roger Dorn Baseball League in 2014 with a pair of cash finishes and one Division Title to date in Franchise History.

Franchise History Page

President of Baseball Operations: Ross Horiuchi

Headquarters: Honolulu, HI

Seasons: 9

Cash Finishes: 2

Division Titles: 1

Lifetime Earnings: $400

Top Hitter: Jean Segura, 396.5 (2016)

Top Pitcher: Chris Sale, 539.0 (2017)

2023 Season

The Honolulu Hammerheads were the first casualty of the earlier Roger Dorn Baseball League Trade Deadline as GM Ross Horiuchi was teetering between buying and selling in mid-July. The club decided to push their chips in and go for it which ultimately proved to be the wrong move as the Heads faded down the stretch, finishing in 10th place with expiring contracts like Austin Riley and Paul Goldschmidt sitting on the roster instead of bringing back a potentially large return.

The Heads used a RDBL Record 73 players on their Active Roster, highlighting a series of injuries to the starting rotation (including Jacob deGrom, Ryne Nelson, Kris Bubic, Chris Sale and Michael Wacha) as well as a revolving door in the bullpen. Despite the turnover, the Heads enter 2024 with a bevy of rotation options that should give GM Ross Horiuchi some tradeable assets this off-season as they look for a return to the Playoffs.

2024 Pending Free Agents

1B Paul Goldschmidt, 3B Austin Riley, OF Dylan Carlson, IF Brendan Donovan

Current Projected Keeper Roster Ranked by Value

1 RHP Tanner Bibee (2R/$3)

2. RHP Sonny Gray (2/$2)

3. OF Jarren Duran (2R/$3)

4. RHP Michael Wacha (2/$1)

5. SS Ezequiel Tovar (2/$8)

6. OF Seiya Suzuki (3/$22)

7. LHP Chris Sale (3/$1)

8. C Tyler Stephenson (3R/$5)

9. C J.T. Realmuto (3/$28)

10. RHP Reese Olson (2FA/$5)

11. OF Leody Tavares (2FA/$5)

12. 1B Alex Kirilloff (3R/$5)

The Heads didn't have a pick until the 3rd Round of the 2023 RDBL Reserve Draft but nailed their selection of Tanner Bibee who enters 2024 as their top asset. Bibee is followed by a number of affordable rotation options with Sonny Gray a lock to return while Michael Wacha, Chris Sale, Reese Olson and Bailey Ober battle for the remaining spots while Brandon Pfaadt

Ezequiel Tovar and Jarren Duran give the Heads a pair of high-upside young assets while Seiya Suzuki's 2nd Half performance likely locked in his return for his final season of control.

Provided the Heads bring back both J.T. Realmuto and Tyler Stephenson, Horiuchi should still have substantial cap space to add some firepower on offense with a reunion between the club and Austin Riley already heavily rumored no matter the cost.

Farm System

1. RHP Brandon Pfaadt, ARI

2. OF Benny Montgomery, COL

3. C Drew Romo, COL

4. RHP Gordon Graceffo, STL

5. RHP Quinn Priester, PIT

6. OF Robert Hassell, WSH

7. RHP Drey Jameson, ARI

The graduation of Tanner Bibee, Jarren Duran and Ryne Nelson left the Hammerheads Farm System quite shallow but help could still be on the way in 2024. Brandon Pfaadt was hardly efficient in 2023, posting 85.0 points in 96.0 innings of work, but five 20+ point starts and the trust of the Diamondbacks to hand him the ball consistently in the Playoffs is a great sign for the future.

Rockies outfielder Benny Montgomery is a toolshed of a prospect and finished the year on a tear at High-A while currently excelling in the Arizona Fall League. Drew Romo will be another name to watch as he likely reaches Colorado in 2024 with a chance to be a solid Opening Day activation behind the plate for 2025.

Outside of Pfaadt, it was a largely forgettable year on the mound for the club's pitching prospects as Gordon Graceffo (4.92 ERA, 1.53 WHIP), Quinn Priester (7.74 ERA, 1.70 WHIP in 10 big league outings) and Drey Jameson (Tommy John) all took hits to their value.

Off-Season Questions

1 Approach to the rotation?

The Hammerheads season has been derailed in back to back seasons by the health of the rotation with Chris Sale and Jacob deGrom manning a third of the group in each season. Horiuchi's approach to the rotation behind Bibee and Gray will be interesting to watch as the club has the cap space available to add an elite arm like Zack Wheeler, Spencer Strider or Kevin Gausman to turn the group from a plus to one of the league's best.

2. Moving on from Alex Kirilloff?

The Heads have been the leaders of the Alex Kirilloff fan club for years, and for good reason given his potential. But injuries continue to derail his career with his latest shoulder injury in the post-season requiring off-season surgery that could effect his availability to start 2024.

3. Approach in the outfield?

Seiya Suzuki finished 2023 on a tear and looks like a strong bet to return at 3/$22. That leaves the potential for the Heads to shop George Springer (2/$31) who is coming off a solid, yet unspectacular 374.0 point season. The emergence of waiver claim Leody Taveras and rise of activation Jarren Duran make this a strong group heading into next season.

4. A return for Realmuto?

The Free Agent catcher market is surprising healthy for the 2024 Draft with Willson Contreras, Cal Raleigh, Sal Perez, Jonah Heim and others available that put up similar production to the $28 Realmuto. Could the Heads look to free up additional cap space by moving Realmuto this off-season or stick with him to pair with Tyler Stephenson (3R/$5) for 2024.