NALB - April 2017

The Brooklyn Knights had to put two starting pitchers on the disabled list in April. Staff ace Porfírio Portio suffered a partially torn labrum while José Arisa’s elbow strain landed him on the DL. Even worse, top bullpen lefty Rikiya Kiyomizu tore his elbow’s flexor tendon and will miss the rest of the season. Despite the injuries, the Knights ended April in first place. The team of the month, however, was unquestionably the Luisville Beasts. Possessing a 22-3 record, the Beasts won 18 straight and were close to unstoppable. Luisville’s lineup was truly a murderers’ row. Through 25 games, the Beasts hit 51 home runs and batted an amazing .326. In League 2, the Maples and Allies both got off to strong starts. As they did last season, Washington ended April atop its division. Traditionally the weaker division in League 2, all four Division 2 teams finished April under .500.

April 2017 awards:

League 1
Batter of the Month: Manuel Montaya (Luisville Beasts)
Pitcher of the Month: Darius Luxton (Brooklyn Knights)
Rookie of the Month: Jaime Nieto (Dunedin Otters)

League 2
Batter of the Month: Kurt Johnson (Stade Maples)
Pitcher of the Month: Mike Wolfe (Washington Allies)
Rookie of the Month: Marc Keefe (Richmond Slam)