The first draft in Australian Baseball League history is set to add another element to the new season which starts on Thursday.
The draft has proven a great equalising tool for sporting competitions in Australia and overseas, especially in the AFL - though in the ABL it's less about strengthening weaker sides and more about ensuring all teams get a good share of local talent to go with their quota of imports.
The introduction of a draft is set to help a club like Canberra Cavalry, who don't have as many local players to choose from as some of their rivals from more populous cities.
The Cavalry, who lost the championship series to Perth last season - falling just short of back-to-back titles - picked up four players in the inaugural draft, including veteran pitcher Tristan Crawford and New York Yankees prospect Adam Silva.
The six teams will play a 48-game regular season then a best-of-three playoff series from January 30 to February 1 before the championship series from February 6-8.
Players affiliated to 24 American Major League clubs and Japan's top league add international quality to supplement the host of talented local products.
That deep pool of home-grown players includes four Australians with Major League experience in Brad Harman, Justin Huber, Trent Oeltjen and Luke Hughes.
Harman and Huber will spearhead a Melbourne Aces outfit who missed out on the playoffs last season when they finished fourth, but now boast arguably the ABL's deepest roster of Australian talent.
Perth, who have won three of the four championships since the ABL was resurrected, again loom as the team to beat.
They have retained the nucleus of their championship teams and have the only AAA player in the competition in import pitcher, Mike McCarthy.
Australia's greatest-ever baseballer and first Major League All-Star Dave Nilsson returns to the ABL in a managerial capacity, seeking a turnaround for the Brisbane Bandits, who finished bottom last season.
The Bandits are the only club not to have made the playoffs since the competition was revived, though Nilsson has inherited a strong pitching staff.
Adelaide, who have finished fifth the last two seasons, have recruited Team Australia mainstay Mitch Dening.
Perennial contenders Sydney Blue Sox are bent on making the championship series for the first time after reaching the playoffs in each of the past four seasons.
ABL PLAYERS TO WATCH
*ADELAIDE BITE: Mitchell Dening (Australian, outfielder), Tyler Brunnemann (American, pitcher)
*BRISBANE BANDITS: CJ Beatty (American, outfielder), Steve Chambers (Australian, pitcher)
*CANBERRA CAVALRY: Anthony Alford (American, outfielder), Adam Silva (Australian, outfielder).
*MELBOURNE ACES: Brandon Stenhouse (Australian, pitcher), Ben Leslie (Australian, outfielder)
*PERTH HEAT: Mike McCarthy (American, pitcher), Luke Hughes (Australian, infielder)
*SYDNEY BLUE SOX: Trent Oeltjen (Australian, outfielder), Markus Solbach (German, pitcher).
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