Around the League

Blake Gailen named to Silver Anniversary team

(April 13, 2023, New York) – Blake Gailen, an outfielder for the Lancaster Barnstormers who was selected the league’s Player of the Year in 2012, was named to the Atlantic League Silver Anniversary team on Thursday. He is the 15th of 25 outstanding players to be named to the honorary squad.

Gailen earned Player of the Year honors during his first season with Lancaster in 2012. He led the league with a .338 batting average while driving in 89 runs and hitting 22 home runs. That season earned him Baseball America Independent Player of the Year honors and the first of four ALPB Postseason All-Star awards. He repeated as a first team selection in 2018 and was a second team pick in 2013 and 2014.

During the 2014 season, Gailen hit .350 and helped the Barnstormers win the ALPB title with a three-game sweep of the Sugar Land Skeeters. In 2018, he led the league in home runs with 27 and RBI with 91 and was rewarded with his third ALPB All-Star game selection.

A two-time Player of the Month, Gailen finished his career ranked seventh in league history with 117 home runs and is ranked among the top 12 all-time in RBI, walks, and sacrifice flies. He joined the elite 20-20 club in 2012 when he combined his 22 home runs with 25 stolen bases.

During his time in the Atlantic League, Gailen received multiple contracts with affiliated organizations but always returned to the Atlantic League.

“The Atlantic League and the Lancaster Barnstormers were a huge stepping stone for my career,” said Gailen. “Without the Atlantic League, I don’t know where I’d be. It was a catalyst for everything I was trying to do in this game.”

Gailen’s career has taken him across the world to play baseball, suiting up for Team Israel in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and playing in the 2017 World Baseball Classic. He was a coach for the Israelis in the recently completed WBC.

Gailen is single and resides in the Los Angeles area where he is coaching in the Dodgers system.

The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is celebrating its 25th Anniversary in 2023 and has selected elite former players to comprise the official ALPB Silver Anniversary team. A total of 25 players have been selected to commemorate the league’s first quarter century. The list of honorees is comprised of former Players of the Year, Pitchers of the Year, League Championship MVPs, All-Stars and record holders, the most talented players to ever grace an Atlantic League ballpark.

Over the course of the next two weeks, the 25th Anniversary Team will be revealed one at a time on the ALPB website and social media channels as well as the same platforms of each Atlantic League club. Please visit each week to see which fan favorite players made the all-time greats roster. 

Atlantic League Silver Anniversary Team Members
LHP Mike Guilfoyle
RHP Tim Cain
OF Glenn Murray
3B Jeff Nettles
RHP Lincoln Mikkelsen
UTIL/DH Ray Navarrete
RHP Jim Ed Warden
1B Josh Pressley
C Francisco Morales
C Luis Rodriguez
SS Victor Rodriguez
RHP John Brownell

SS Bryant Nelson
RHP Dwayne Pollok
OF Blake Gailen

 

About the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB)

Celebrating its 25th Anniversary season in 2023, the Atlantic League is Major League Baseball’s first Professional Partner League, a player gateway to the major leagues, and a leader in baseball innovation. ALPB has sent over 1,200 players to MLB organizations while drawing more than 45 million fans to its family-friendly ballparks throughout its 25-year history. Please visit www.AtlanticLeague.com.

 



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