The Dayton Grizzlies have been in first place in League 1 Division 1 since taking the lead in July. The Knights trailed the Grizzlies by an average of two games for most of the month. A three game sweep by the Mudcats pushed the deficit to three games. Brooklyn closed to within a single game of Dayton in late August but faltered and ended August 3½ back. Luisville, Stade, and Richmond continued to lead their respective divisions.

Although the Knights starting pitching was quite poor through the first four months of the season, things began to turn around in August. The trade for starter Dan Courtlandt paid off in a big way. In 6 starts for the Knights, Courtlandt was 5-0 with a 1.24 ERA, which earned him pitcher of the month honors.

August 2021 awards:

League 1
Batter of the Month: Pete Chavez (Luisville Beasts)
Pitcher of the Month: Dan Courtlandt (Brooklyn Knights)
Rookie of the Month: Larry Fibbin (Dunedin Otters)

League 2
Batter of the Month: Mabon Beniniger (Washington Allies)
Pitcher of the Month: Stafford Konig (Phoenix Rattlers)
Rookie of the Month: Paul Milburn (Vancouver Wild)

The Brooklyn Knights entered July with a 5½ game lead over the Dayton Grizzlies. Brooklyn's lead was as large as six games before the Knights began to slide. A lackluster month (10-15 record) from the Knights coupled with a hot month from the Grizzlies (17-7 record) flipped the division. At the end of July, Dayton held a two game division lead. The other three division leaders stayed on top—Beasts, Maples, and Slam. July 31 was the trade deadline and the Knights made two big trades on the last day of the month.

Brooklyn Knights trades:

• Traded 31-year old RHP Darius Luxton to the St. James Crusaders, getting 31-year old 2B Kent von Kantzow, 23-year old minor league RHP Tim Menard, 23-year old minor league RF Mark Ford, and 25-year old minor league RHP Anderson Eliserio in return.
• Traded 28-year old RHP Júlio Guillén, 26-year old minor league RHP Alex Mobley, and a 1st round draft pick to the Stade Maples, getting 27-year old LHP Dan Courtlandt, 23-year old minor league RHP Todd Ingram, 25-year old minor league 1B Jesús Bolaño, 24-year old minor league 1B Devon Dearana, and 25-year old minor league LF Josiah von Vietinghoff in return.

July 2021 awards:

League 1
Batter of the Month: Beagan Cajar (Dayton Grizzlies)
Pitcher of the Month: Alfredo Maldonardo (Cornfield Axemen)
Rookie of the Month: Urbano Delgado (Cornfield Axemen)

League 2
Batter of the Month: Matthew Loy (Key West Corals)
Pitcher of the Month: Kearney Snipes (Washington Allies)
Rookie of the Month: Chet Hamm (Quebeck Sky Chiefs)

NALB held its annual All-Star Game on July 13, 2021. Eight players from the Brooklyn Knights were voted onto the League 1 All-Stars roster, five pitchers and three fielders. The Maples' Eriq Barber was League 2's starting pitcher and Eric Matts of the Grizzlies got the start for League 1. The game was competitive. Heading into the sixth inning, the score was tied 2-2. Catcher Aneury Martínez of the Las Vegas Luck hit a three-run homer in the sixth. That contributed to a four run inning for League 1. With Ken Hannah on the mound in the ninth, the League 2 All-Stars made it interesting. They scored a pair of runs but ended up losing 6-4. Las Vegas first baseman Jorge Morales was named the player of the game.

                     1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9   R  H  E
League 1 All-Stars   2 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0   6  6  0
League 2 All-Stars   1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2   4 12  2

W: N. Forbes
L: D. Courtlandt

The NALB Home Run Challenge was held on the evening prior to the All-Star Game. At the all-star break, Jorge Morales led League 1 with 26 home runs. Morales put his powerful swing on display in the HR Challenge. Morales prevailed in the final round against the Axemen's Luís Vergel by a score of 16-15.

On July 11, the NALB All-Star Prospects game was played. The League 1 Future Stars defeated the League 2 Future Stars 9-6. Catcher Johnny Chamness earned the game's MVP award. The 25 year old plays for the Middlesborough Cavalry, which is the AAA affiliate of the Quebeck Sky Chiefs.

The 2021 season is roughly at its midpoint. Brooklyn went 18-9 in June and opened up a 5½ game lead over Dayton by the end of the month. The Knights got a lot of production out of third baseman John Ruben, who was named League 1's batter of the month. At one stretch, Ruben was as hot as any hitter could be. He got on base In 15 consecutive plate appearances—11 for 11 with 3 walks and a hit by pitch. The Knights finally started to see some improvement in starting pitching, moving from 8th place to 6th place in starters' ERA. The Luisville Beasts worked through their early season stumbles and now hold a solid 4½ game lead over the Otters. The Stade Maples stayed ahead of the Key West Corals. The Vancouver Wild, however, went into free fall. An 8-19 record in June plunged the Wild from first place into last place. The Richmond Slam surged to take over the division lead.

June 2021 awards:

League 1
Batter of the Month: John Ruben (Brooklyn Knights)
Pitcher of the Month: Noel Trevenot (Luisville Beasts)
Rookie of the Month: Ascot Balay (Las Vegas Luck)

League 2
Batter of the Month: Aramis Jáquez (Richmond Slam)
Pitcher of the Month: Lowie Zuydam (Key West Corals)
Rookie of the Month: Luís Vareas (St. James Crusaders)

The Dayton Grizzlies and Brooklyn Knights continued to battle for the top spot in their division. Near the end of May, the Knights had a 3½ game lead over the Grizzlies. Brooklyn had a weak finish, however, and lost five out of its last six games. The Knights starting pitching continued to struggle with a league worst 5.04 ERA. At the end of May, Dayton sat atop the division, leading by a half-game. The Luisville Beasts came roaring out of last place to come within two games of the Otters. The best team NALB team remained the Stade Maples with a record of 34-19. The Vancouver Wild played well in May and were able to overtake the RIchmond Slam by a half-game.

May 2021 awards:

League 1
Batter of the Month: Manuel Montaya (Luisville Beasts)
Pitcher of the Month: Paco Rivera (Luisville Beasts)
Rookie of the Month: Clement Barrows (Brooklyn Knights)

League 2
Batter of the Month: Mabon Beniniger (Washington Allies)
Pitcher of the Month: Dan Courtlandt (Stade Maples)
Rookie of the Month: Luís Vareas (St. James Crusaders)

Without any injuries in spring training, the Brooklyn Knights were a healthy team at the start the 2021 season. Star outfielder Blas Ramos was bothered by a stiff back in early April, however. Although not serious enough to send him to the injured list, it kept him out of the starting lineup for almost two weeks. The Knights played well without Ramos and got off to a 12-5 start. Unfortunately, that was followed by a four game losing streak and an injury to right fielder Maurílio Godim. Godim ruptured a tendon in his foot and is expected to miss five months of action. At the end of April, Brooklyn and Dayton were tied with 14-9 records. The Otters, Maples, and Slam ended the month atop their respective divisions.

April 2021 awards:

League 1
Batter of the Month: Sigfried Crockett (Cornfield Axemen)
Pitcher of the Month: Jake Pradia (Dayton Grizzlies)
Rookie of the Month: Nelson Sánchez (St. Rock Mudcats)

League 2
Batter of the Month: Jonathan Grandberry (Phoenix Rattlers)
Pitcher of the Month: Hartman Ivers (Stade Maples)
Rookie of the Month: Luís Vareas (St. James Crusaders)

The Brooklyn Knights posted a league best 20-10 record in spring training. The Richmond Slam matched that 20-10 record, which was the best in League 2.

The Knights sailed through spring training without any injuries. They are at full strength entering the regular season.

Key injuries in spring training:

• Cornfield Axemen: C Filip Chambless strained his hamstring and will miss 6 weeks.
• Dunedin Otters: C Willie Nolan broke a bone in his elbow. He will be out for 5 months.
• Las Vegas Luck: RP Sean Pittman suffered a partially torn labrum. He will need 3 months of recovery time.
• Vancouver Wild: 1B Rob Wintle ruptured his medial collateral ligament, which is a season ending injury.
• Washington Allies: SP Francisco Camano is expected to miss 3 weeks due to a sprained elbow.

Here were some notable roster moves prior to the 2021 NALB season.

The Brooklyn Knights had the following offseason/preseason activity:

• The Knights extended the contracts of 13 players through salary arbitration: Sardar Dzhafarov, Ramone Alconer, Roberto Hernández, Júlio Guillén, Alex Mobley, Darius Luxton, Cleveland Garfield, John Ruben, Syman Lowery, Xerxes Scaife, Cristófor De Jesús, Joe Barnstaple, and Andrew Strain.
• RP Juan Fuentes filed for free agency and signed with the Cornfield Axemen.
• Two players were lost in the Rule 5 Draft—SP Ramón Madriz and LF Loch Westlake
• Traded 27-year old minor league RHP Jens Leach to the Dayton Grizzlies, getting 24-year old minor league 2B Bryan Inge, 23-year old minor league C Frankie Washer, 25-year old minor league SS Jorge Dernove, 23-year old minor league SS Micah Dickerson, and 24-year old minor league RHP Charles Vannoy in return.
• Traded 31-year old RHP Xerxes Scaife and 24-year old minor league RHP Linwood Bloch to the Nashville Firecats, getting 26-year old RHP Milton Mann, 24-year old minor league LF Joe Linsday, and 24-year old minor league RHP Humphrey Wonnacott in return.

Notable offseason free agent signings:

• 3B Pete Chavez returned to Luisville after a two year absence. He signed a 2 year $19 million contract.
• 2B Bubba Webb was probably the biggest name in the 2021 free agent market. He opted to join the Nashville Firecats after their $59.5 million offer for 4 years.
• The Phoenix Rattlers added CF Oscar Barrientes to their roster. The deal was $30.1 million for 4 years.
• Veteran SP Porfiro Quiñones agreed to join the Luisville Beasts. His 4 year contract is worth $19,040,000.
• The Dunedin Otters solidified their pitching staff by signing SP Anastasio Urbáez. They locked him up for 5 years, $28.5 million.
• Star shortstop Larry Arceniaga is now with the Richmond Slam. He inked a $15.8 million, 2 year contract.
• SP José Urista agreed to a $8.56 million 2 year deal to join the Key West Corals.
• 3B Hsiao-lou Yuan landed himself a big contract with the Rattlers. His deal is worth $59.1 million over 5 years.
• The Corals were active in free agency. They added LF Victorio Zavaca to the Key West roster. Zavaca will earn $21.8 million over 3 years.
• Legendary slugger Tony Rodarte will play for Quebeck in 2021. The Sky Chiefs offered Rodarte a 2 year deal worth $11.2. The long time outfielder will probably play first base for his new team.
• For some time, Key West has been known for their great relief pitching. That should certainly be the case again as they added RP Ximien Palmiero to their bullpen. His contract was 3 years, $13.42 million
• RP Joe Farrell signed a 3 year $9.0 million deal with the Vancouver Wild.
• On January 3, the Corals landed yet another star reliever in free agency. RP Tim Sanders agreed to a 3 year $6.88 million contract
• SP Lewis McGrew found a new home in Key West. The Corals spent big in the offseason to bolster their pitching staff. McGrew will earn $25.2 million over the next 3 years.
• RF Chris Lee chose to sign with Key West as well. The Corals look to be formidable in 2021 and their 4 year $25.4 million offer made it an easy decision for Lee.
• The Corals weren't done upgrading their bullpen. A 3 year $11.84 million offer lured superstar RP Benny Alazardo to Key West.

Notable offseason trades:

• SP Angel Martinez was traded by the Cornfield Axemen to the Key West Corals in exchange for C António Pacheco and 1B Norberto Bautista.
• LF Bill Hardeman was traded by the Washington Allies to the Key West Corals, along with a 3rd round draft pick, in exchange for RP Miguel Catarino and CL Felipe Casillas.