2012 North American League season
| 2012 NAL season | |
|---|---|
| League | North American League |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Duration | May 23, 2011 – September 3, 2012[1] |
| Regular season | |
| League postseason | |
| Northern Division champions | San Rafael Pacifics |
| Northern Division runners-up | Maui Na Koa Ikaika |
| United Division champions | Edinburg Roadrunners |
| United Division runners-up | Fort Worth Cats |
The 2012 North American League season was the second season of the North American League. There was no inter division play between the North and United division. San Rafael Pacifics outfielder Maikel Jova held a NABL record 37 game hit streak during the season.[2]
Season schedule
The 10 teams in the league were divided into two divisions: North and United. The North Division consisted of four teams, while the United Division had six. The United Division did not play a championship series against the North; instead, it held a best-of-three semifinal series and a best-of-five division championship series.[3] The North Division held a single best-of-three final series.[4]
Exhibition and international games
Na Koa Ikaika Maui hosted the Ishikawa Million Stars from Japan on July 10 and 11, 2012, in an unofficial two-game exhibition series, which the teams split.[5] Ishikawa competed in the Baseball Challenge League, an independent professional league in Japan. Following the North American League postseason, Na Koa Ikaika recruited several players from the Hawaii Stars to participate in a two-game series against Ishikawa in Japan, which was also split between the teams.[6]
The trip allowed team executives — including Maui owner Bob Young, CEO David Andrus, and COO Chris Osgood — to meet multiple times with the owners of six BCL teams to discuss potential interleague play for the 2013 season. The discussions included agreements on player trades and exchanges, providing players opportunities to compete internationally.[7]
Separately, the Sonoma County Grapes hosted the East Bay Lumberjacks in an unofficial exhibition on August 2, 2012, marking the franchise’s first home game while exploring potential venues for the 2013 season.[8] The game, held at Recreational Park in Healdsburg, California, ended in an 8–2 victory for the Grapes. A second home exhibition against the San Rafael Pacifics, scheduled for August 9, was later canceled due to a scheduling conflict.[9]
Regular season standings
as of September 3, 2012
| Pos | Team | G | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | y – San Rafael Pacifics | 60 | 34 | 26 | .567 | -- |
| 2 | x – Maui Na Koa Ikaika | 66 | 36 | 30 | .545 | 1.0 |
| 3 | e – Hawaii Stars | 54 | 25 | 29 | .463 | 6.0 |
| 4 | e – Sonoma County Grapes | 48 | 19 | 29 | .396 | 9.0 |
| Pos | Team | G | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | y – Edinburg Roadrunners | 96 | 60 | 36 | .625 | -- |
| 2 | x – Fort Worth Cats | 96 | 52 | 44 | .542 | 8.0 |
| 3 | x – Rio Grande Valley White Wings | 95 | 51 | 44 | .537 | 8.5 |
| 4 | x – San Angelo Colts | 96 | 51 | 45 | .531 | 9.0 |
| 5 | e – Abilene Prairie Dogs | 87 | 34 | 53 | .391 | 21.5 |
| 6 | e – McAllen Thunder | 88 | 31 | 57 | .352 | 25.0 |
- y – Clinched division
- x – Clinched playoff spot
- e – Eliminated from playoff contention
Statistical leaders
Hitting
| Stat | Player | Team | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR | Brandon Jones | Fort Worth Cats | 18 |
| AVG | Chad Gabriel | Fort Worth Cats | .363 |
| RBIs | Cory Patton | San Angelo Colts | 70 |
| SB | Stantrel Smith | Edinburg Roadrunners | 59 |
Pitching
| Stat | Player | Team | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| W | Celson Polanco | Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings | 12 |
| ERA | Jesse Smith | Maui Na Koa Ikaika | 1.33 |
| SO | Celson Polanco | Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings | 108 |
| SV | Erik Draxton | San Angelo Colts | 23 |
To qualify as league leader for hitter, AVG - Minimum of plate appearances of 2.7 per team game. To qualify as league leader for pitcher, ERA - Minimum inning(s) of .8 pitched per team game.[11]
Playoffs
Format
In 2012, the North division played a best-of-three finals between the top two teams. The San Rafael Pacifics defeated Maui Na Koa Ikaika two games to one, claiming them the North Division Champions. In the United division, the top four teams advanced to the playoffs. The first round was a best-of-three series. The second round was a best-of-five series for the United Division Championship. The Edinburg Roadrunners defeated the Fort Worth Cats three games to zero. The North playoffs were held August 24-26th while the United playoffs were held September 4-9th.
Playoff North Division
| North Division Championship Series (best-of-three) | |||||
North Division | |||||
| 2 | San Rafael Pacifics | 7 | 0 | 6 | |
| 1 | Maui Na Koa Ikaika | 6 | 3 | 5 | |
Playoff United Division
| United Division semi-final Series (best-of-three) | United Division Championship Series (best-of-five) | |||||||||||||
United Division | ||||||||||||||
| 2 | Edinburg Roadrunners | 8 | 11 | X | ||||||||||
| 0 | Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings | 7 | 5 | X | ||||||||||
| 3 | Edinburg Roadrunners | 12 | 11 | 10 | X | X | ||||||||
| 0 | Fort Worth Cats | 8 | 5 | 1 | X | X | ||||||||
| 2 | Fort Worth Cats | 11 | 6 | X | ||||||||||
| 0 | San Angelo Colts | 7 | 0 | X | ||||||||||
Northern Division Individual Awards
The manager's of the Pacifics, Na Koa Ikaika, Hawaii Stars and Sonoma County Grapes voted to determine the post-season awards and select the division's post-season All-Star Team.[12][13]
| Award | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Most Valuable Player | Maikel Jova | San Rafael |
| Pitcher of the Year | Jesse Smith | Maui |
| Rookie of the Year | Mark Micowski | Sonoma County |
Northern Division Postseason All-Star Team
| Position | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| C | Nick Valdez | Maui |
| 1B | Johnny Woodard | San Rafael |
| 2B | Kalaika Kahoohalahala | Maui |
| SS | Arnoldo Ponce | Hawaii |
| 3B | Jose Sanchez | Maui |
| OF | Maikel Jova | San Rafael |
| OF | Keoni Manago | Hawaii |
| OF | Steve Tedesco | Hawaii |
| DH | Anthony Lopez | Hawaii |
| Starter RHP | Jesse Smith | Maui |
| Starter LHP | Brian Gump | San Rafael |
| Reliever RHP | Victor Ferrante | Maui |
| Reliever LHP | Matthew Stabelfeld | San Rafael |
Northern Division Honorable Mention All-Star Team
| Position | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| C | D. J. Dixon | Sonoma County/ San Rafael |
| C | Adam Jacobs | Hawaii |
| 1B/DH | Brandon Gregorich | Sonoma County |
| 1B/DH | Anthony Lopez | Hawaii |
| 2B | Chase Fontaine | San Rafael |
| SS | Danny Sandoval | Maui |
| INF | Gered Mochizuki | Maui |
| OF | Waylen Sing Chow | Maui |
| Starter RHP | Dustin Crenshaw | Sonoma County |
| Starter RHP | Jake Rasner | San Rafael |
| Reliever RHP | Julian Arballo | San Rafael |
| Reliever RHP | Josh Larson | Hawaii/ Maui |
Notable players
Former Major League Baseball players who played in the North American League in 2012[14]
- Rick Bauer (Fort Worth)
- Benji Gil (Fort Worth)
- James Hoyt (Edinburg)
- Bill Lee (San Rafael)
- Danny Mota (San Angelo)
- Billy Petrick (Abilene), (Edinburg)
- Tony Phillips (Edinburg)
- Al Reyes (Rio Grande Valley)
- Danny Sandoval (Maui)
References
- ^ "NABL 2012". Retrieved 2023-08-14.
- ^ Shafer, Jacob (September 5, 2016). "Maikel Jova's Death-Defying Journey to US a Success, Far from MLB Limelight". Retrieved August 14, 2023.
- ^ "Roadrunners Crowned 2012 Champions". OurSports Central. September 9, 2012.
- ^ "San Rafael Pacifics Win North American League North Division Championship". OurSports Central. August 26, 2012.
- ^ "Na Koa Ikaika Maui Welcomes the Ishikawa Million Stars from Japan". OurSports Central. OurSports Central. July 6, 2012. Retrieved January 24, 2026.
- ^ "Na Koa Ikaika Maui to Play Ishikawa Million Stars This Week in Japan". BallparkBiz. BallparkBiz. September 9, 2012. Retrieved January 24, 2026.
- ^ "Na Koa Ikaika Maui Trip to Japan Deemed a Success". OurSports Central. OurSports Central. September 17, 2012. Retrieved January 24, 2026.
- ^ "Sonoma County Grapes Baseball a Winner at Rec Park". Patch.com. Patch. August 3, 2012. Retrieved January 24, 2026.
- ^ "Sonoma County Grapes Cancel Exhibition against San Rafael Pacifics". OurSports Central. OurSports Central. August 3, 2012. Retrieved January 24, 2026.
- ^ "North American League - standings". pointstreak.com.
- ^ "North American League - stats".
- ^ "Maikel Jova Named MVP of North American Baseball League's North Division". OurSports Central. OurSports Central. September 6, 2012. Retrieved January 24, 2026.
- ^ "North Division announces post-season award winners and 2012 All-Star team". OurSports Central. OurSports Central. September 8, 2012. Retrieved January 24, 2026.
- ^ "NAML – 2012 Independent Leagues Summary". The Baseball Cube. Retrieved January 24, 2026.