Executive of the Year: Michael Tirabassi, Fightin' Fish

The Spokane Fightin' Fish knew something had to change in 2015 as they were set to finish their third season of RDBL play without a cash finish. An overhaul in player strategy followed, prioritizing overall upside in all acquisitions while aggressively prioritizing the Active Roster while dangling Draft picks and prospects along the way. What has followed is the most dominant run we have seen in League History as the Fightin' Fish have finished in the money in six of seven seasons with two League Championships, two Regular Season Titles and five Division Titles.

Another dominant season in 2023 earned President of Baseball Operations Michael Tirabassi the Executive of the Year Award, his second of his career, matching a RDBL Record. The Fish won the Regular Season by 461.5 points, the third largest margin in League History as Tirabassi's roster finished 1st in both Hitting and Pitching, joining the 2021 Lake Merced Goutfish and 2019 Asti Grape Stompers as the only Franchise's to accomplish that feat.

While the club came up short in the 2023 Playoffs, finishing second to the Lake Merced Goutfish, the Fightin' Fish led all teams in Full Season points for the fourth time since 2016. It's a remarkable, yet frustrating feat for Tirabassi who has only been able to win the League Title in two of those seasons.

Typically driven by star performers historically, the Fightin' Fish had the most balanced offense in League History with no player exceeding 387.0 Regular Season points yet still pacing the RDBL in scoring. Activation of the Year Runner-Up Julio Rodriguez led the way, slashing .281/.342/.472 while Corey Seager returned to the Franchise that originally activated him to slash .342/.409/.643 around IL stints.

Off-season additions Justin Verlander and Aaron Judge also battled injuries, but managed to dominate on the field with Verlander pacing all Fish pitchers in points while Judge posted a 1.025 OPS.

The Fightin' Fish set or matched seven Roger Dorn Baseball League Records in 2023 and now hold 22 Records overall, the most in the League including $4,990 in lifetime cash winnings.

Tirabassi joins Greg Shelley (2022, 2018), Ryan Atkinson (2021, 2014), Terry Shelley (2019), Jason Watson (2017, 2015), and Nick Holz (2013) as winners of the Executive of the Year Award.

Ryan Atkinson (Goutfish), Jason Watson (Devils) and Chris Ferraro (Maulers) also received votes.

Playoff MVPs: Blake Snell and Ronald Acuña

The 2023 Roger Dorn Baseball League Playoffs offered another wild finish with historic and record-setting performances as the Lake Merced Goutfish held off the Spokane Fightin' Fish and Mission Viejo Maulers for their second League Championship.

Here are the top performers on the pitching and hitting side.

Playoff Pitching MVP: LHP Blake Snell, Lake Merced Goutfish

The Lake Merced Goutfish pitching staff took hold of the RDBL Playoffs and never let go, setting a League Record with a 2.52 ERA led by ace Blake Snell who was awarded the RDBL Pitching Playoff Most Valuable Player Award for 2023 in his club's Championship season.

Snell was elite all season but took things to new heights in the RDBL Playoffs, pacing all pitchers with 170.0 points while registering a 0.47 ERA, the lowest in RDBL History. The left-hander allowed just 15 hits in 38.0 innings, notching a 0.89 WHIP.

Snell's 170.0 points were the 7th most in RDBL Playoff History with Runner-Up Gerrit Cole of the Mission Viejo Maulers finishing with 167.0 points, the 9th most in League History.

Snell joins Alek Manoah (2022), Max Fried (2021), Jack Flaherty (2019), Jacob deGrom (2018), Justin Verlander (2017) and Mark Melancon (2016) as Pitching Playoff MVPs since the RDBL switched to the format seven seasons ago.

Snell will be back to lead the Goutfish rotation in 2024, his final season under team control on a 3/$10 contract that stood out as one of the league's most valuable this year.

Playoff Hitting MVP: OF Ronald Acuña, Lunatic Fringe

For the second time in as many years, the Regular Season Hitter of the Year continued their dominant performance in the RDBL Playoffs to also earn the Playoff Hitting Most Valuable Player. Aaron Judge accomplished the feat in 2022 with Ronald Acuña matching it this season after pacing all hitters with 155.5 points.

Acuña, who also led and set a RDBL Record with 541.0 Regular Season points, slashed .368/.429/.736 over the final five Periods, posting the second most points in Playoff History.

Acuña joins Judge (2022), Bryce Harper (2021), Kyle Schwarber (2019), Tommy Pham (2018), Jose Ramirez (2017) and Yadier Molina (2016) as Playoff Hitting MVPs while becoming the first Fringe player to take home the Award.

The star outfielder is set to return on a 2/$66 deal, the seventh highest contract in League History.

Fish Break Seven of 17 Records Set in Historic 2023 Season

The Roger Dorn Baseball League saw 17 records broken in the 2023 Season, led by the Spokane Fightin' Fish who set or extended seven marks while Hitter of the Year Ronald Acuña set three himself for the Lunatic Fringe in a historic season at the plate.

In total, we tracked 87 Statistical Records with the Fightin' Fish leading all RDBL Franchises with 22 of those marks followed by the Alamo Short Stacks (15), Lunatic Fringe (10) and Mission Viejo Maulers (10).

The Lake Merced Goutfish logged three RDBL Records in 2023, matching the Spokane Fightin' Fish with two League Titles while Blake Snell set the new mark for best ERA in a RDBL Playoff (0.47), leading to the best Team ERA (2.52).

All 87 Records can be sorted by team, season and category which can be found on the far right side of the RDBL Record Book.

It wasn't all positive as four Record lows were set in 2023 after rough Playoff performances from the Mt. Diablo Devils and Idaho Taters who set new lows in pitching and total points.

2023 Roger Dorn Baseball League Records

Most League Championships	Lake Merced Goutfish	2
Tied Spokane Fightin' Fish
Most Regular Season Titles	Spokane Fightin' Fish	2
Tied Alamo Short Stacks
Most Division Titles	Spokane Fightin' Fish	5
Most Cash Winnings in RDBL History	Spokane Fightin' Fish	$4,990
Most All-Time Regular Season Points	Spokane Fightin' Fish	69,831
Most All-Time Playoff Points	Spokane Fightin' Fish	8,620
Most Doubles in a Regular Season	Freddie Freeman, Clovers	50
Most Home Runs in RDBL Playoffs	Spokane Fightin' Fish	74
​Tied Fringe ('19), Fightin' Fish ('21)
Most Singles in a Regular Season	Luiz Arraez, Fish	136
Most Steals in a Regular Season	Ronald Acuna, Fringe	59
Most Total Hitting Points in Full Season	Ronald Acuna, Fringe	696.5
Most Hitting Points in a Regular Season	Ronald Acuna, Fringe	541
Best ERA in RDBL Playoffs	Lake Merced Goutfish	2.52
Best Starter ERA in RDBL Playoffs	Blake Snell, Goutfish	0.47
Most Steals in a Regular Season	Meinert Hops	179
Most Steals in RDBL Playoffs	Mission Viejo Maulers	49
Most Walks in a Regular Season	Juan Soto, Taters	109

2023 Roger Dorn Baseball League Record Lows

Lowest Pitching Total in RDBL Playoffs	Idaho Taters	401.0
Highest ERA in RDBL Playoffs	Mt. Diablo Devils	4.83
Highest WHIP in RDBL Playoffs	Mt. Diablo Devils	1.38
Lowest Total Points in RDBL Playoffs	Mt. Diablo Devils	1,201.5