Bush League

[Elendil]

2015-16 Offseason (cont.)


As mentioned above, the Glacier Pilots were able to snag John Hauk from the Bucs. However, they lost two-time Reliever of the Year Floyd Arrington (career 3.05 ERA - but that includes 19 innings with the MLB Cubs), who signed with Juneau. Also as already mentioned, the team got Jeremy House from the Bucs for Tim Arnold.

On October 17, Anchorage and Kodiak pulled off a mega-deal. Anchorage got 26-year-old star second baseman Dale Robison (career .283/.368/.472) and Kodiak got 30-year-old SP Don Taggart (career 3.23 ERA) and 25-year-old second baseman Mark Navarro (career .271/.332/.418). It looked like a good deal for both teams, shedding some salary for Kodiak and bringing in a superstar with just 1 year left on his contract to Anchorage.

The Pilots also made one notable waiver claim, bringing in outfielder Rob Corley, now 33 and a former star who had gotten just 41 AB's for Peninsula last year (career .298/.389/.510). It was unclear how much playing time Corley would get with Anchorage.

Offseason grade: B. The Glacier Pilots have so much money; it really seems that they could have kept Arrington if they had made an effort. The team really needs to get noticeably better to contend in the Seward Division after their horrible performance last year - and that doesn't seem to have happened.



The Mushers didn't see any real star players leave, but they did lose some starters, including longtime 2B Duncan Sutherland (career .250/.331/.444 but in decline) to Peninsula, 3B A.J. Brisebois (career .262/.303/.430) to Peninsula, and 25-year-old SP Shane Russell (career 4.14 ERA) to Juneau (the biggest loss, probably).

The Mushers were content to rebuild, apparently, but they didn't make the sorts of small but positive moves that a smart rebuilding team should make. For instance, they dealt a decent 2B prospect and a very solid relief pitching prospect to Whitehorse in exchange for a horrible starting pitcher, Wyatt Horwood (career 6.04 ERA). They also gave up two marginal but still young pitching prospects to Sitka for a marginal 27-year-old reliever. They gave up a decent outfielder, Luc Trudel (career .283/.356/.399) to Mat-Su for a terrible relief pitcher, Zander Dyck (43 walks and 12 strikeouts last year!). That sort of thing wouldn't help them get anywhere in the long run.

The team had no money and made no free agent signings. At the same time, they made no serious efforts to shed salary. It almost looked as if the ownership expected the team to go under.

Grade: F.



Chugiak had most of their key players tied up, but they did lose two major free agents: Jonathan Bertrand, who went to the Bucs as already mentioned, and 24-year-old SS Brett Small (career .296/.359/.539), who landed in the newly resurgent Fairbanks in a major coup. It was just a two-year contract, but at $62,000 per year it was a pretty reasonable deal for the newly contending Goldpanners.

In a move that shocked many fans in Mat-Su, the Jets pried away 35-year-old center fielder Greg Trudel (career .306/.391/.531 but well past his prime and making too much money), giving up 1B-2B Dale Eteldrum (career .298/.365/.412), who is still making league minimum. It was a horrible deal for the Jets. Trudel might be a better player than Eteldrum, but he's not worth the money he's making, even if you gave up nobody to get him! An uncharacteristic move for a typically astute organization.

Jets fans were more pleased when the team finally got rid of longtime albatross, SP Ryan Dye (career 3.94 ERA). Dye had struggled through injuries and really had only one truly good year for Chugiak (2012). He went to the Oilers in exchange for SS Mike Gaston, who returned to Chugiak after a year in Peninsula (career line: .277/.317/.406; also the 2012 Glove Wizard winner at SS).

Oldtimer Vincent Leroux, now a first baseman mostly as his catching skills had deteriorated, signed a two-year deal with Chugiak to replace Eteldrum. Leroux's career line is .296/.394/.504 and he hit a respectable .312/.402/.496 for Sitka last year.

First baseman Gary Johnson also signed with Chugiak, setting up a possible competition for starting time, although Johnson would probably be a back-up and a pinch-hitter. It was a 1-year deal. Last year with Peninsula, the former Fairbanks star hit an excellent .362/.414/.463 but in only 80 at-bats.

Chugiak also made some minor signings and deals to enhance their depth. They would retain one of the highest payrolls in the league, perhaps above their market's long-term sustainability.

Grade: C. Probably went backwards in terms of talent, but will likely contend again.



The Goldpanners were in the enviable position of seeing only one of their players go to free agency: first baseman Marc Keddy (career .282/.349/.489), who ended up signing with the Bucs for a pittance. Hardly a big loss.

As already mentioned, Fairbanks brought in Small as their new shortstop. They also brought in longtime Sitka closer Brad Morris to shore up the back end of their stellar bullpen (career ERA: 3.20, saves: 133). Morris is 33 and asked for and got a 4-year deal, raising some eyebrows.

Fairbanks took another player away from divisional rivals Sitka, nabbing 23-year-old second baseman Anthony Garant (career .267/.310/.374) for a reasonable price. He's on a 3-year deal and management expects to see him fill out his potential in Fairbanks.

However, it was not all roses. Fairbanks made some silly decisions, allowing key prospects to be lost on waivers: CF Elijah Kettleworth and SP Ray Strong to Kodiak and 3B-LF Griffin Shea to the Glacier Pilots.

Grade: A-. The team has improved a lot with their offseason signings - don't understand why they allowed those prospects to be claimed, though.



The Juneau juggernaut rolls on. They did lose two free agents: SP Cisco Pena and MR Duncan Lacey to the Bucs. However, they signed phenomenal closer Floyd Arrington from the Pilots and then made the biggest signing of the entire offseason for any team: slugger Kisei Suto, who opted for a 5-year, $356,000 deal. Suto, who spent his first four years laboring in the obscurity of Ketchikan and Whitehorse and his last two in Mat-Su, boasts a career .326/.409/.530 line and was the 2015 Hitter of the Year, nearly breaking Bob Horton's single-season VORP record.

Just days after the signing of the superstar outfielder, the Senators made a puzzling and seemingly desperate deal with the Yukoners, sending out OF Keith MacNeill (career .289/.369/.557) for 26-year-old SP Trevor Haines (career 6.47 ERA). Haines was immediately demoted to the Douglas Training League squad. The deal doesn't even make sense as a salary dump: MacNeill is making $16,000 next year. The Yukoners ripped off the Senators, pure and simple.

To replace MacNeill, the Senators signed journeyman outfielder Mark O'Feeney to a generous three-year deal (career line: .294/.352/.436).

One little-noticed deal that may do the most to improve Juneau's fortunes was the signing of amateur free agent first baseman Aaron Randolph, who had played three years for Anchorage's ATL affiliate, Cook Inlet, after originally starting with the Miners' affiliate, and been an ATL All-Star all three years, hitting .344/.409/.648 for his whole ATL career. He's on a 1-year, $16K deal but is definitely worth a look at the Alaskan League level, say keen observers.

Juneau also brought 40-year-old reliever Loren Coleman (3.52 ERA, 107 SV) back to Juneau, a loss for the Nicks. He appears to still "have it" and could play a big role for the club.

More importantly, Juneau nabbed Shane Russell away from Bethel, as already mentioned, shoring up their rotation.

Grade: B+. Despite the MacNeill deal, the team certainly hasn't lost ground, with Suto, Coleman, Russell, and Arrington coming on board. The team will look quite different this year, though, and that may mess with "chemistry."



Unlike Bethel, Kodiak is a small-market club that has made intelligent moves to re-tool for the future. They let Harry Harkness go to free agency and sign with the Bucs. Then they dealt expensive star 2B Robison to the Pilots for Taggart and Navarro. They claimed Kettleworth and Strong off waivers from Fairbanks. Most importantly, they dealt expensive, washed up first baseman John Brown (career .303/.391/.468) to Peninsula for a marginal but totally costless prospect.

The team now appears set to make some money in 2016 without a drastically worse roster.

Grade: A.



Without question, the biggest loss for the Miners this offseason was Kisei Suto. However, they managed to re-sign 3B Mark Beach, acquired from Fairbanks last year. In the end, Suto was their only major free agent departure.

The team needed to cut payroll a bit, and they accomplished that, particularly with the Greg Trudel-Eteldrum deal. The most controversial move was definitely sending away longtime pitcher John Dewitt, who was on the 2013 championship club, to the Bucs for CF Jimmy Williams. In talent terms, though, the deal probably made sense, although it was a small financial loss for the Miners. Getting rid of Dyck for Luc Trudel with Bethel was a masterstroke.

This franchise may be down, but they're not out. As a leaner club, they have room to maneuver for 2017, as no one expects them to compete with Fairbanks and Juneau next year.

Grade: A.



The Nicks had lost enormous amounts of money and needed to shed payroll with alacrity. They did so by letting lots of players go to free agency: most notably, 3B-SS Ken Swerdlow (career .306/.373/.467), who ultimately signed with Peninsula; 23-year-old outfielder Phil Elliott (career .313/.398/.458), who also signed with Peninsula; and infielder Stanton Ryan (career .299/.356/.416), who left the league altogether.

Although those losses put the team back on the long road to financial health, the team did nothing else to rebuild, making no trades to strengthen a depleted roster at Skagway. Should be a long year or two in North Pole.

Grade: B-.



The Seward champion Oilers looked to build on their surprising success this offseason, and they had some money to do it.

They let a few marginal FA's walk, and then built from there. As already mentioned, they got Swerdlow on a 4-year contract and youngster Phil Elliott on a 3-year deal. They brought in John Brown from Kodiak for depth. They acquired SP Ryan Dye from Chugiak, giving up Gaston, whom Swerdlow had made dispensable. Finally, they made a number of small depth signings.

What Peninsula really needs to do is to create a sense of team identity that has been lacking throughout their history - and thereby build up fan loyalty. The Swerdlow and Elliott contracts mean that they might be around for a while, but they also need to extend guys like SP Harvey Romanov and LF Davis Osborn, which they haven't done yet.

Grade: A-.



Sitka lost a lot of money on another losing season and needed to cut payroll once again. This time they were successful.

Vincent Leroux, Brad Morris and Anthony Garant walked, while catcher Ryan Harvey re-signed for a vastly reduced sum.

Otherwise, Sitka didn't do much - just a small deal with Bethel referenced above. At least they look set to do better than that unfortunate club.

Grade: C+.



The Yukoners absolutely hemorrhaged money last year - almost as much as the Nicks. They were able to cut some payroll over the offseason, but not enough. The only big FA departure was Aaron Ladner, who went to the Bucs. The team didn't sign anybody of course, but they did make a nice little deal with Bethel, offloading Horwood for two decent prospects. Then of course they raped Juneau for MacNeill. All in all, not a bad start, but they really need to put guys like Charley Logan, Sloan Starr, and John Dugles on the block - or even waivers.

Grade: B-.

[Purple Cowboy]

Kettleworth and Strong are both gone?

Badger Bob has to go!

[Purple Cowboy]

Originally Posted by Elendil

Sweet! No Pepper has created new transparent logos, caps templates, & jersey templates for all the current Alaskan League teams. Here's a preview...

By the way... I've been meaning to comment that these are great. I especially like how the Panners are clearly "Alaska's Team!"

[Elendil]

Originally Posted by Purple Cowboy

Kettleworth and Strong are both gone?

Badger Bob has to go!

Heh, heh... Well, the front office really has to take responsibility for those! And they have a new GM, Adrian Aguilar, who took over after their last GM left for greener pastures at the end of the '15 season.

You probably know this, but the new Panner uniform is actually the real uniform of the "Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks" club in the ABL. I'm mentally justifying the new uni as a return to the classic "throwbacks" due to overwhelming fan demand.

[Elendil]

The Canadian League of Baseball Launches

The CLB launched their inaugural season on May 1, 2016 - without a franchise in Alaska. In the end, the league put a team in Victoria instead. Time would tell whether the new Canadian league would survive, and if so, whether it would draw significant talent away from the Alaskans.

Small-Market Teams End Strike

With Kodiak having defected and the league threatening unilateral contraction, the owners of Bethel, Sitka, and Whitehorse basically backed down and agreed to play the 2016 season. Sure, there was a face-saving deal, in which the league agreed to provide a low-interest loan to all three teams for stadium renovations, but essentially, the league got what it wanted most: stability.

Opening Day Team Overviews



With 1B Arnie Heard on board for a full season and a decent rotation led by new acquisition Cisco Pena, Herb Prat, and lefty Jeff Simmons, along with veteran John Dewitt to provide some leadership, the Bucs looked ready to make some waves in the Seward Division.

Overall, their lineup is likely to be no better than average, and their defense is solid but not spectacular. Look for them to be a middle-of-the-pack team this year.

Prediction: 3rd in the Seward.



On paper, this still looks like a good team, but they did so badly last year that I'm hesitant to endorse them as contenders, when they didn't improve that much over the offseason.

Catcher Chris Normore, 1B Dale Robison, 3B Luke York, SS Sherman Ferris, and RF Jerry Peterson look to provide the backbone of a powerful offensive lineup that can also hold their own in the field.

Pitching is the tricky part. Arrington is gone, and his replacement, Donald Wilson, is a 21-year-old in his second year (5.18 ERA last year). Young Bob Spencer looks to bounce back as the #1 starter, but beyond him things are dicey. Jeremy House isn't a true #2, and Tom Pick and Mike Rancourt are suspected of being washed up.

Prediction: 4th in the Seward.



Bethel looks bad. Again, their only significant offensive force will probably be 1B Adam Joly, now 35 years old. The rotation is downright terrible, with relative unknown Tim Myers leading the bunch. Their #2 guy, Wyatt Horwood, had a 5.63 ERA with Whitehorse last year.

Predicted finish: 6th in the Seward.



The Jets are not what they once were, but they still appear to be above average. The lineup is respectable, featuring catcher Dave Lepine (particularly noted for his defensive skills), right fielder Francis Ikarashi, and of course slugging left fielder Phil Botfield.

The starting rotation is a bunch of old dudes. Ed Staitie, Monzaemon Mihashi, Martin Gagnon, and Bryan Kendall - big names all - will try to revive the magic for one last push. Number 5 starter Steve Griffin will be trying to rebound from one of the worst pitching performances in history: 7.82 ERA in 71 IP, mostly as a reliever. A 35-year-old Jason Hilton will again close out games.

Predicted finish: 2nd in the Seward. I'm rooting for them, though, mostly 'cause of the old guys.



The Panners look stacked, but will it be enough to leapfrog Juneau? Could be another frustrating year for these talented youngsters.

The lineup features stars such as catcher Edward Peterson, second baseman Brett Small, left fielder Colin Garrett, and center fielder Camden Neal. Pitching is their real strength, though, with John Cormack, Eugene Pond, and Mark Deacon the best 1-2-3 combo in the league by far. Dwayne Smith and Larry Corbitt are no slouches either. Closer Walter Teranishi is still just 22 and among the best in the league.

Predicted finish: 1st in the Denali. As offense has increased, defense has become more valuable. I think the Panners gel this year and edge the Senators.



Frankly, I'm tired of seeing this team winning! But you have to admire the tradition they've built. Offensively, they look strong again, but are starting to show their age a bit perhaps. 3B Bill Seguin and outfielders Tommy Okawa, Olivier Theriault, and Kisei Suto (left to right) will provide the fireworks.

On the mound, they have Anthony Sonier (perhaps the most consistent ace in the league the last 2-3 years), Scott Northeast (entering his 10th season with the club), Shane Russell (who will probably enjoy the move from bottom feeders Bethel), and Jesse Alexander in the top 4 rotation spots. Not overpowering, but solid. Floyd Arrington should dominate as closer.

Predicted finish: 2nd in the Denali. I see them continuing their gentle decline started last year.



Kodiak has few stars but few glaring weaknesses either. They could come close to a .500 record and even finish as high as 3rd. Pitching is their main asset, & in fact it's hard to say who could stand out on the offensive side.

The rotation is led by 25-year-old Steven Henry, not quite a dominant ace yet but definitely above average, followed by consistent veteran Don Taggart, formerly of Juneau. Beyond that they don't have much, and their closer, Cole Walters, does not inspire confidence.

Predicted finish: 5th in the Seward.



Mat-Su will, as usual, impress more in their ability to score runs than prevent them. 3B Mark Beach, acquired last year from Fairbanks, SS George Robertson, and CF Bryce Payne will provide the main offensive firepower.

The rotation is in a pretty sad state, with Papuan Kusuma Mainaky, just 21 years old, in the #1 slot. Stephen "Spud" Hill, sometime Kodiak star, is probably over the hill but will pitch second. John Oram, entering his 7th season playing for the Miners, will serve as closer for the first time in his career.

Predicted finish: 3rd in the Denali. They're not as bad as North Pole, Sitka, or Whitehorse.



You'd really like to see the Nicks get back on their feet, but it's not going to happen this year. Their sole marquee players are 2B John Abston of course and 23-year-old SS Garrett Shears, an All-Star last year.

Chip Becker and Chance Major still lead the Nicks' rotation, but they are not feared by hitters as they once were. Both of them got a rough ride last year. Beyond them things look worse.

Predicted finish: 4th in the Denali.



The Oilers surprised me last year, but now I think they can actually sustain their success. Offensively, they are now stacked, with big names like catcher Bob Russo, second baseman Zander Sabin, and shortstop Ken Swerdlow, as well as fresher faces now contributing like third baseman Ron Leighton, left fielder Phil Elliott, and right fielder Dave Squires, formerly of Fairbanks.

The rotation looks a little sketchy but certainly has veteran experience with Harvey Romanov, Ryan Dye, and Louis Mays. Closer Braedon MacDonald is a weak link.

Predicted finish: 1st in the Seward, but I could see any of the three Anchorage clubs challenging them.



The Sitka Sentinels will be trying to break the 2014 Goldpanners' record for the worst season ever. Obviously, my tongue is firmly in cheek, but they really are godawful. Only the immensely popular shortstop Jack Hussey sheds any dim light of hope on this benighted roster. Their #1 pitcher, Will Blain, had his best years in 2007 and 2010. I see name like Leif Morris in their #3 spot and think, "Oh, I thought he went to Oregon to work on the docks or something."

Predicted finish: 6th in the Denali.



The Yukoners haven't completely imploded, but the luster is definitely off the team now for the town of Whitehorse. Guys who play for Whitehorse are typically lost to fans of the rest of the league, only to be remembered when they hit free agency to sign somewhere else. 1B Charley Logan is there, and so is CF John Dugles. Ron Yuke is a name everyone associates with Whitehorse, and he will be going for a second straight Pitcher of the Year. Number two starter John Mack is entering his 10th year with the club, and number three starter Rick Sonier has also spent his entire career with the Yukoners, entering his 8th season.

Predicted finish: 5th in the Denali.

As the 10th season of the Alaskan League begins, I'd like to start a series on the history, so far, of each Alaskan League franchise. But the first installment will have to wait until next time...

[Elendil]

The Teams of the Alaskan League: A Retrospective

(Note: all-time records are as of June 6, 2016 - part of the season has been played.)


Anchorage Bucs

Championships: 0
Pennants: 0
Best Finish: 2011 (58-50, 1 GB)
All-time Record: 472-494
All-time Financial Balance: +$187,587

All-time Batting Leaders:

Batting average, season - Ken Swerdlow, 2008 (.352)
OPS, season - Jimmy Williams, 2015 (.984)
VORP, season - Jimmy Williams, 2015 (44.9)
VORP, career - Ken Swerdlow (151.4)
Runs, career - Terry Kuhn (350)
Home Runs, season - Jimmy Williams, 2015 (30)
Home Runs, career - Nick Bedford (81)
RBI, career - Terry Kuhn (301)
Stolen Bases, season - Bryce Payne, 2010 (27)
Stolen Bases, career - Bryce Payne (103)

All-time Pitching Leaders:

ERA, season - Jack Hatt, 2014 (2.99)
ERA, career - Jack Hatt (3.65)
Wins, season - Jack Hatt, 2014 (15)
Wins, career - Jack Hatt (77)
Saves, season - Vincent Wood, 2013 (20)
Saves, career - Vincent Wood (126)
Games Pitched, career - Vincent Wood (310)
Games Started, career - Jack Hatt (185)
K/BB, season - Jack Hatt, 2008 (3.72)

When you think of the Bucs, you think of...

Jack Hatt and Vincent Wood. Hatt played his whole career (2007-2015) with the Bucs, except one year (2011, with the Mushers). His career featured an 89-64 record and 3.58 ERA. He won a Pitcher of the Year with the Bucs, and five of his six All-Star games came representing the Bucs. Wood has played his whole career (2007-) with the Bucs. He has accumulated 126 saves since winning the closer role in 2008, a role he has never relinquished. Never dominant, he can be characterized as "workmanlike," a control pitcher who rarely makes mistakes. He has represented the Bucs at three All-Star games.

The Bucs' hope for the future is...

Pitcher Cisco Pena and possibly first baseman Arnie Heard. At 24, Pena has already pitched for Kodiak and Juneau. He's now on a 2-year deal with the Bucs, but it's likely the team will try to sign him to a long-term deal if he proves himself in 2016. Arnie Heard, 26, has played with Sitka and Peninsula and was acquired in a trade last year. A smart hitter with good pop and a superb eye, Heard is only signed through 2016, but the team may well try to keep him around longer - the only question is whether Heard will listen to their entreaties.


Anchorage Glacier Pilots

Championships: 1 (2014)
Pennants: 1 (2014)
Best Finish: 2014 (72-36, 1st)
All-time Record: 467-499
All-time Financial Balance: +$169,829

All-time Batting Leaders:

Batting average, season: Dave Bonnar, 2007 (.331)
OPS, season: Tom Robbins, 2007 (1.030)
VORP, season: Dave Colwell, 2014 (54.7)
Games, career: Harry Harkness (358)
Runs, season: Dave Colwell, 2014 (86)
Runs, career: Sherman Ferris (218)
Home Runs, season: Tom Robbins, 2007 (31) * some people still consider this the all-time league home runs record, because they played only 96 games then
Home Runs, career: Tom Robbins (66)
RBI, season: Wynn Dunsmore, 2014 (93)
RBI, career: Tom Robbins (209)
Stolen Bases, season: Dave Colwell, 2014 (24)
Stolen Bases, career: Dave Colwell (43)

All-time Pitching Leaders:

ERA, season: Vincent Robinson, 2007 (2.22)
ERA, career: Bryan Kendall (3.72)
Wins, season: Ernie Geldart, 2014 and Gary Tufts, 2007 (12)
Wins, career: Eric Liger (42)
Saves, season: John Adams, 2007 and Floyd Arrington, 2014 (21)
Saves, career: John Adams (57)
Games, career: Eric Liger (139)
Games Started, career: Eric Liger (134)
K/BB, season: Bryan Kendall, 2009 (3.61)

When you think of the Glacier Pilots, you think of...

From the early 2007-2009 "Alaska's Team" period: outfielders Dave Bonnar and Tom Robbins and starting pitchers Bryan Kendall, Gary Tufts, Vincent Robinson, and Eric Liger. (Closer John Adams was with the club then as well, but I associate him more with the Oilers, with whom he won a championship in 2010.) From the 2013-2016 revival period: shortstop-third baseman Sherman Ferris, outfielder Jerry Peterson, and pitcher Bob Spencer. Eric Liger is the only player connecting these two eras across the wasteland of decline and receivership (2010-2012). Liger left the Pilots in 2010 for the Jets, but returned the next year. He retired after the 2014 season, still a popular player among Glacier Pilots fans. His career record was 50-55 and ERA 3.66. Bryan Kendall and Dave Bonnar went on to have successful careers after leaving Anchorage, and Vincent Robinson is also still bouncing around the league.

The Glacier Pilots' hope for the future is...

Pitcher Bob Spencer, catcher Chris Normore, shortstop Bob Thompson, and closer Donald Wilson. Spencer, age 24, is entering his 4th year with the club and was a key member of the 2014 championship club. His ERA shot up to 4.96 in 2015 but is expected to be great in the future. He's signed through 2017. Normore, age 22, is entering his third season with the club. He's a mediocre defensive catcher who put up eye-popping offensive numbers in the Training League but has yet to perform at the AKL level. He will likely start full-time in 2016 for the first time. He's on automatic renewal until 2017. Thompson, 22, is a rookie who is a good fielder at short (by league standards) and hit well in the ATL. He will probably not be starting yet. Wilson, age 21, was a rookie last year and put up a 5.18 ERA but with pretty good peripherals. He has a fastball in the low to mid 90s and is expected to be great. He has won the closer job out of training camp.


Bethel Mushers

Championships: 0
Pennants: 2
Best Finish: 2011 (59-49, 1st)
All-time Record: 453-514
All-time Financial Balance: -$133,666

All-time Batting Leaders:

Batting average, season: Adam Joly, 2011 (.351)
OPS, season: Adam Joly, 2011 (1.028)
VORP, season: Adam Joly, 2011 (60.7)
Games, career: Duncan Sutherland (691)
Runs, season: Adam Joly, 2013 (97)
Runs, career: Adam Joly (419)
Home runs, season: Adam Joly, 2013 (30)
Home runs, career: Adam Joly (112)
RBI, season: Adam Joly, 2013 (103)
RBI, career: Adam Joly (382)
Stolen bases, season: George Henneberry, 2012 (33)
Stolen bases, career: George Henneberry (87)

All-time Pitching Leaders:

ERA, season: Dave Gibbon, 2011 (3.01)
ERA, career: Dave Gibbon (3.73)
Wins, season: Shane Russell, 2013 (13)
Wins, career: Shane Russell (40)
Saves, season: Gaylord Powers, 2007 (21)
Saves, career: Loren Coleman (44)
Games, career: Arvin Dower (136)
Games started, career: Shane Russell (100)
K/BB, season: Pete Strelioff, 2008 (2.16)

When you think of the Mushers, you think of...

Second baseman Duncan Sutherland, first baseman Adam Joly, and outfielder Sean Heath. Sutherland's story is a little sad. He broke into the league with Kodiak in 2007 and joined Bethel in 2009, playing on both of their pennant-winning teams. He stuck with the team through 2015 but hit just .200 in 2014 and .218 in 2015. Now 30 years old, he has signed an amateur contract with the Oilers and is playing for Soldotna in the ATL. Sutherland won a Glove Wizard award in 2009 and once represented Bethel in an All-Star game. Adam Joly is synonymous with the Mushers these days but has also sucked up any free cash they might have to surround him with other good players. After playing with Chugiak and the Bucs for four years, he joined the Mushers in 2011 and has slugged away in obscurity ever since. Now 35, he seems to be going into slow decline (.859 OPS, worst since 2010, last year). He won Hitter of the Year with Bethel twice: in 2011 and 2013. He has made five All-Star appearances, three with Bethel. Heath, now 29, is a player Bethel tried desperately to keep. He broke into the league as a Musher, playing on both pennant teams. He left for Sitka as a free agent in 2012 but returned to Bethel in 2013. In 2015 he left again, signing a three-year contract with the Glacier Pilots. Heath has made three All-Star teams, two with Bethel.

The Mushers' hope for the future is...

Infielder Wilfred McRae and outfielder Ken Talley. McRae, 21, broke in with North Pole last year and was traded to Bethel in September. He did very well in training camp and will be their starting shortstop. Talley, 25, is a rookie (August callup last year). He will be the starting left fielder out of training camp. Good power and the makings of a great eye as well.

The Mushers hopefully know this is not enough, though. Joly will be off the books next year, and they will need to make serious moves to bring in quality young players - otherwise, this franchise might lose its tiny fanbase and disappear from the league altogether.

[Elendil]

Chugiak Jets

Championships: 0
Pennants: 2 (2012, 2013)
Best Finish: 2012 (71-37, 1st)
All-time Record: 517-449 (6 straight winning seasons!)
All-time Financial Balance: +$60,603

All-time Batting Leaders:

Batting average, season: Phil Botfield, 2015 (.350)
OPS, season: Phil Botfield, 2014 (1.062)
VORP, season: Phil Botfield, 2014 (50.6)
Games, career: Phil Botfield (687)
Runs, season: Phil Botfield, 2014 (90)
Runs, career: Phil Botfield (483)
Home runs, season: Phil Botfield, 2014 and Jimmy Williams, 2011 (31)
Home runs, career: Phil Botfield (133)
RBI, season: Phil Botfield, 2014 (105)
RBI, career: Phil Botfield (474)
Stolen bases, season: Mike Gaston, 2014 (30)
Stolen bases, career: Mike Gaston (82)

All-time Pitching Leaders:

ERA, season: Eugene Pond, 2010 (2.29)
ERA, career: Eugene Pond (3.09)
Wins, season: Martin Gagnon, 2013 (16)
Wins, career: Monzaemon Mihashi (50)
Saves, season: Jason Hilton, 2012 (28)
Saves, career: Jason Hilton (85)
Games, career: Jason Hilton (203)
Games started, career: Martin Gagnon and Monzaemon Mihashi (96)
K/BB, season: Martin Gagnon, 2010 (3.32)

When you think of the Jets, you think of...

Outfielder Phil Botfield, shortstop Mike Gaston, catcher Dave Lepine, starting pitchers Monzaemon Mihashi and Martin Gagnon, and relief pitchers Jason Hilton and Bryce Brown. With the exception of Gagnon, all these players were with the team for the 2012 and 2013 pennant runs and remain with the team for the 2016 season. Gagnon played with Chugiak in 2010, Kodiak in 2011 and 2012, and then Chugiak again since 2013. Slugger Phil Botfield has almost all the team hitting records, and he's still just 27! He's signed through 2017 at $75K per year. Gaston left the team for one year (2015) but has returned. He's now 30 and has only made one All-Star team but is a solid player, hitting around league average and fielding well at SS. Lepine, still 28, has been the Jets' starting catcher since 2011 except for 2012, when Bob Russo was brought in. He's only an average hitter but has won two Glove Wizard awards. "Money" Mihashi, picked up as a closer in 2010, has been with the team ever since, moving to the rotation in 2012. He has a career ERA of 3.10 and record of 61-32. He's 40 years old and still getting the job done but is only signed through this season. Gagnon, 38, has a career ERA of 3.33 and record of 63-38. He has made three All-Star teams, all with the Jets, and still pitches well, although his ERA was uncharacteristically high (4.97) last year. Jason Hilton, who made a splash in 2011 as the first former major leaguer to move to the Alaskan League, is now 35 and has been the Jets' closer most years. He's a two-time All-Star and is now a control specialist after years of relying on the strikeout. He's on a reasonable, $15K per year contract through 2017. Bryce Brown, just 27, has been one of the Jets' most reliable relievers, really breaking out in 2013. His workload has been heavy, reaching 60 innings-plus twice. He is set to go to free agency after this season. In short, the Jets have a number of players who define this franchise, all of them coming to the club since the receivership fiasco, when Adam Joly and Ray Tomiak departed.

The Jets' hope for the future is...

Almost nobody. This is a pretty old team now: they've gotten into the habit of relying on free agency to bring in players, and their amateur system is depleted. However, they do have one promising amateur under contract: pitcher Silas Lortie. At 20, Lortie shows signs of developing into a very good control pitcher, and his peripherals look pretty good with West Anchorage so far. Don't expect him to make it to the AKL for another year or two, though.


Fairbanks Goldpanners

Championships: 0
Pennants: 0
Best Finish: 2015 (68-40, 2nd)
All-time Record: 416-550 (finished last 2009-2014)
All-time Financial Balance: +$117,823

All-time Batting Leaders:

Batting average, season: Dirk Cluett, 2009 (.376)
OPS, season: Jimmy Williams, 2008 (1.017)
VORP, season: Jimmy Williams, 2008 (50.3)
Games, career: Gary Johnson (795)
Runs, season: Dave Squires, 2015 (80)
Runs, career: Gary Johnson (489)
Home runs, season: Dave Squires, 2015 (28)
Home runs, career: Gary Johnson (79)
RBI, season: Jimmy Williams, 2008 (100)
RBI, career: Gary Johnson (398)
Stolen bases, season: Camden Neal, 2015 (34)
Stolen bases, career: Camden Neal (56)

All-time Pitching Leaders:

ERA, season: Chip Becker, 2007 (2.62)
ERA, career: Chip Becker (3.17)
Wins, season: Eugene Pond, 2015 (14)
Wins, career: Ron Daig (24)
Saves, season: Walter Teranishi, 2015 (22)
Saves, career: Walter Teranishi (46)
Games, career: Ford Currell and Chandler Leighton (160)
Games started, career: Ron Daig (73)
K/BB, season: John Cormack, 2015 (4.78)

When you think of the Goldpanners, you think of...

Former first baseman Gary Johnson. He started for the club eight consecutive years (2007-2014). This year he's playing for Chugiak and may even start at 1B. He's now 38 and has a career .334/.421/.470 line. He's been an All-Star seven times, all with Fairbanks. Fairbanks has had a number of other good players come through: Jimmy Williams, Mike Collette, Mike Gaston, Luc Trudel, Sloan Starr, Chip Becker, Quinn Spence, Mark Beach... but they've usually left after a year or two. Now they finally have a great core, and it will be interesting to see how long guys like pitchers John Cormack, Eugene Pond (formerly of Chugiak and North Pole), Mark Deacon, Dwayne Smith, Larry Corbitt, Walter Teranishi, and Ford Currell, and hitters Edward Peterson, Matthew Bartholomew, Colin Garrett, and Camden Neal stick around and perhaps re-define whom people think about as the franchise players for Fairbanks.

The Goldpanners' hope for the future is...

Closer Walter Teranishi, 22, and center fielder Camden Neal, 23. Teranishi is entering his 4th year (!) and has already been an All-Star twice, coming close to winning Reliever of the Year in 2014. The team is currently negotiating to bring him back on a lengthy contract. Neal has the capability to be a good OBP hitter and is a superb baserunner. He also fields his position very well (but with a weak arm). Depending on how his service time works out, he may be eligible to come back for 2017 on a league-minimum contract.

[Elendil]

Juneau Senators

Championships: 3 (2009, 2011, 2015)
Pennants: 4 (2009, 2011, 2014, 2015)
Best Finish: 2014 (78-30, 1st)
All-time Record: 565-401
All-time Financial Balance: +$46,369

All-time Batting Leaders:

Batting average, season: Britt Parrish, 2014 (.379)
OPS, season: Wynn Dunsmore, 2012 (1.063)
VORP, season: Wynn Dunsmore, 2012 (56.3)
Games, career: Ralph Collette (837)
Runs, season: Ralph Collette, 2014 (93)
Runs, career: Ralph Collette (572)
Home runs, season: Nick Bedford, 2015 (30)
Home runs, career: Ralph Collette (120)
RBI, season: Nick Bedford, 2015 (108)
RBI, career: Ralph Collette (552)
Stolen bases, season: Bill Seguin, 2011 (49)
Stolen bases, career: Bill Seguin (206)

All-time Pitching Leaders:

ERA, season: Louis Mays, 2010 (1.97)
ERA, career: Louis Mays (2.43)
Wins, season: Don Taggart, 2011 (15)
Wins, career: Scott Northeast (78)
Saves, season: Bill Colwill, 2010 (22)
Saves, career: Bill Colwill (123)
Games, career: Duncan Lacey (331)
Games started, career: Scott Northeast (186)
K/BB, season: Louis Mays, 2008 (3.69)

When you think of the Senators, you think of...

Second baseman Ralph Collette, center fielder Olivier Theriault, and starter Scott Northeast especially - all of whom have been with Juneau their entire careers, Collette and Northeast since the launch of the league, and have been on all the championship teams. In addition, starter Don Taggart (2007-2014), closer Bill Colwill (2010-), starter Quinn Spence (2009-2014), starter Anthony Sonier (2011-), third baseman-shortstop Bill Seguin (2010-), shortstop Gates Matkin (2011-), and outfielder Wynn Dunsmore (2007-2013) are major players in Juneau history. Collette is 6th all-time among Alaskan League players in runs scored, 10th in hits, 5th in doubles, 1st in triples, and 9th in RBI. Northeast is 9th all-time in wins, 11th in innings pitched, and 7th in ERA.

The Senators' hope for the future is...

Do they really need one? The future is now for this amazing club. But I suppose it would be appropriate to point newly signed FA Kisei Suto, still 26, who could end up being one of the greatest hitters ever to play in the league. He's signed all the way through 2020. Not to mention 26-year-old ace Anthony Sonier, who boasts a career 3.15 ERA and 71-34 record. Sonier has just signed a three-year extension taking him through 2019. The Senators aren't going anywhere any time soon.


Kodiak Grizzlies

Championships: 0
Pennants: 0
Best Finish: 2011 (58-50, 1 GB)
All-time Record: 479-487
All-time Financial Balance: -$41,321

All-time Batting Leaders:

Batting average, season: Leith Drover, 2011 (.359)
OPS, season: Tanner Bourque, 2014 (1.039)
VORP, season: Dale Robison, 2015 (52.1)
Games, career: Scott Wilkinson (789)
Runs, season: Dale Robison, 2015 and Kelyn Birley, 2013 (81)
Runs, career: Scott Wilkinson (490)
Home runs, season: Duncan Sutherland, 2008 (22)
Home runs, career: Scott Wilkinson (72)
RBI, season: Mike Collette, 2014 (91)
RBI, career: Scott Wilkinson (427)
Stolen bases, season: Dale Robison, 2015 (29)
Stolen bases, career: Scott Wilkinson (64)

All-time Pitching Leaders:

ERA, season: Stephen Hill, 2009 (2.33)
ERA, career: Martin Gagnon (2.89)
Wins, season: Joe Mews, 2014 and Eric Pease, 2008 (12)
Wins, career: Stephen Hill (52)
Saves, season: Ron Yuke, 2010 (21)
Saves, career: Cole Walters (95)
Games, career: Cole Walters (403)
Games started, career: Stephen Hill (160)
K/BB, season: Geoffrey Townend, 2010 (3.70)

When you think of the Grizzlies, you think of...

Shortstop Scott Wilkinson and closer Cole Walters above all. Both players have been with the team continuously since 2007. Wilkinson is a two-time All-Star and one-time Glove Wizard winner. Walters was Ron Yuke's setup man for a long time but is now closer. He's 35 years old and his contract runs out this year, while Wilkinson, still just 31, is locked up through 2019. Other key names from Kodiak's history are outfielder Leith Drover (2008-2012, now with Kodiak), outfielder Tom Robbins (2010-2013, finished his career there), starter Stephen "Spud" Hill (2007-2013, now with Mat-Su), and closer Ron Yuke (2009-2012, now with Whitehorse).

The Grizzlies' hope for the future is...

Starter Sam Lockwood (24), starter Steven Henry (25), catcher Karl Morrisey ("Big Morrey") (25), right fielder Michael Samson (23), and third baseman Stan Smart (26). Yep, they are fully stocked with promising youngsters. Samson is a Lower 48 guy who signed with the club shortly after opening day this year. So is Lockwood. Both acquisitions seriously upgrade the team's future outlook, as they will be on automatically renewable contracts for the next three years. The team has signed a three-year extension with Morrisey and a two-year extension with Smart. The well-paid #1 starter, Henry, is still negotiating. He was actually a product of the Bucs' system originally and has never quite filled out his potential - but there's still time.

[Elendil]

Mat-Su Miners

Championships: 2 (2007, 2013)
Pennants: 4 (2007, 2008, 2010, 2013)
Best Finish: 2010 (70-38)
All-time Record: 520-446
All-time Financial Balance: -$123,317

All-time Batting Leaders:

Batting average, season: Kisei Suto, 2015 (.383)
OPS, season: Kisei Suto, 2015 (1.127)
VORP, season: Kisei Suto, 2015 (69.3)
Games, career: Pierre-Alexandre Langlois (807)
Runs, season: Sherman Ferris, 2011 (89)
Runs, career: Pierre-Alexandre Langlois (579)
Home runs, season: Greg Trudel, 2011 (31)
Home runs, career: Greg Trudel (147)
RBI, season: Greg Trudel, 2011 (93)
RBI, career: Pierre-Alexandre Langlois (558)
Stolen bases, season: Bobby Rae, 2007 (33)
Stolen bases, career: Bobby Rae (81)

All-time Pitching Leaders:

ERA, season: Will Blain, 2010 (2.17)
ERA, career: Will Blain (3.16)
Wins, season: John Dewitt, 2013 (14)
Wins, career: John Dewitt (61)
Saves, season: Bryant Brenton, 2010 (23)
Saves, career: Bryant Brenton (130)
Games, career: Bryant Brenton (323)
Games started, career: Thierry Tremblay (154)
K/BB, season: John Dewitt, 2012 (2.12)

When you think of the Miners, you think of...

44-year-old catcher Pierre-Alexandre Langlois above all. With knees like iron, Langlois has donned the mask for the Miners every year for the past ten years. He even hit .311/.400/.490 last year. He is a six-time All-Star. From the early years, 3B-SS Sherman Ferris (now with the Glacier Pilots), LF Rob Corley (also with the Glacier Pilots), RF Dave Langille (now with Bethel), and 2B Rene Fortier (now on an amateur contract with the Grizzlies) were stalwarts. All are nearing retirement now. Center fielder Greg Trudel played with the team their first nine seasons, but this offseason he was traded to Chugiak. Closer Bryant Brenton pitched for the club from 2007 to 2015 but retired with a 3.70 ERA and 130 saves. The team is truly entering a new era.

The Miners' hope for the future is...

Third baseman Mark Beach and starter Kusuma Mainaky. Beach, 23, was acquired from Fairbanks last year and re-signed to a two-year extension. He's an OBP guy who has hit over .300 each of his first four seasons in the AKL. Mainaky, 21, may well be the only native of Papua New Guinea currently playing professional baseball anywhere in the world. He was the #2 overall pick in last year's draft and moved straight to the Alaskan League. He posted a respectable 4.44 ERA (about league average) last year. He could be dominant, except that there are worries about his stamina.


North Pole Nicks

Championships: 2 (2008, 2012)
Pennants: 2 (same)
Best Finish: (non-first:) 2010 (66-42, 4 GB), (first:) 2008 (56-40)
All-time Record: 509-457
All-time Financial Balance: -$374,471

All-time Batting Leaders:

Batting average, season: Bob Horton, 2010 (.364)
OPS, season: Bob Horton, 2008 (1.118)
VORP, season: Bob Horton, 2008 (70.8)
Games, career: John Abston (904)
Runs, season: John Abston, 2009 (91)
Runs, career: John Abston (719)
Home runs, season: Alan Sellick, 2013 (33) *currently the all-time record, shared with Nick Bedford, if you discount Tom Robbins' 31 in a shorter 2007 season
Home runs, career: John Abston (209)
RBI, season: Edison Dwyer, 2012 (96)
RBI, career: John Abston (716)
Stolen bases, season: John Abston, 2010 (46)
Stolen bases, career: John Abston (219)

All-time Pitching Leaders:

ERA, season: Chance Major, 2010 (2.49)
ERA, career: Chance Major (3.47)
Wins, season: Chip Becker, 2012 (17)
Wins, career: Chip Becker (69)
Saves, season: Larry Lovell, 2010 and Loren Coleman, 2014 (21)
Saves, career: Larry Lovell (52)
Games, career: Chance Major (206)
Games started, career: Chance Major (163)
K/BB, season: Mike Rancourt, 2008 (3.47)

When you think of the Nicks, you think of...

Definitely Bob Horton and John Abston. While Horton might be the best player ever to play in the Alaskan League, Abston is definitely a more complete player than Horton ever was: a true five-tool superstar. Horton also came to North Pole from the Bucs in 2008, and while he played on both of the championship teams, he left to spend a season and a half in Peninsula at one point. Abston, by contrast, has been the starting second baseman for North Pole every year from the very start. Incredibly, Abston is still just 29 years old, and he's making massive amounts of money by Alaskan standards. He's up for free agency after 2016, so we'll see whether he stays in North Pole. Certainly, if the fans have any say in the matter, there is no way that he leaves. Abston is a 6-time All-Star and 1-time Hitter of the Year (2009). Equally important to North Pole's success over the years have been the two dominant starters, Chip Becker and Chance Major. Becker spent 2007-2009 with Fairbanks but has been in North Pole ever since. He has amassed a career 92-62 record with a 3.78 ERA and six All-Star appearances. Major has spent his entire career, dating back to 2008, with the Nicks. He has a career 62-50 record and 3.47 ERA and is the all-time Alaskan League leader in career strikeouts per nine innings (9.94) and strikeouts per nine innings in a single season (10.88). Besides Becker, Major, and Abston, the only Nicks left from the 2012 championship team are catcher Alan Sellick (with North Pole since 2009, 183 career HR) and corner infielder Edison Dwyer (with North Pole since 2009, 150 career HR).

The Nicks' hope for the future is...

Third baseman Bill Randell and shortstop Garrett Shears. Randell, 22, is a rookie this year and was signed to an amateur deal after being released by Bethel - he then was placed on the active roster. Some scouts claim he has major potential, but he hasn't really shown it yet. Shears, 23, is in his third year, having missed the entire 2014 season with a skull fracture. He's got a good bit of pop and fields his position competently.


Peninsula Oilers

Championships: 1 (2010)
Pennants: 2 (2010, 2015)
Best Finish: 2015 (65-43, 1st)
All-time Record: 485-482
All-time Financial Balance: +$112,325

All-time Batting Leaders:

Batting average, season: Tommy Lambert, 2010 (.341)
OPS, season: Tanner Bourque, 2009 (1.002)
VORP, season: Tommy Lambert, 2010 (37.2)
Games, career: Tommy Lambert (677)
Runs, season: Davis Osborn, 2015 (90)
Runs, career: Tommy Lambert (365)
Home runs, season: Ron Leighton, 2014 (24)
Home runs, career: Ron Leighton (72)
RBI, season: Davis Osborn, 2015 (102)
RBI, career: Ron Leighton (259)
Stolen bases, season: Phil Livingston, 2015 (30)
Stolen bases, career: Phil Livingston (78)

All-time Pitching Leaders:

ERA, season: Ron Quinton, 2010 (2.41)
ERA, career: Ron Quinton (3.04)
Wins, season: Mike Rancourt, 2013, Alan St. George, 2009, Bryan Kendall, 2014, and Louis Mays, 2015 (12)
Wins, career: Bryan Kendall (51)
Saves, season: John Adams, 2010 (27)
Saves, career: Braedon MacDonald (69)
Games, career: Chris Dickey (235)
Games started, career: Bryan Kendall (116)
K/BB, season: Ron Quinton, 2010 (3.00)

When you think of the Oilers, you think of...

Probably second baseman Tommy Lambert more than anybody else. He was with the team for eight years, from 2007 to 2014, including the championship season. He's now with the Bucs' amateur affiliate. Lambert boasts 811 career hits and a .292 career batting average. He was an All-Star selection thrice. On the pitching side, Bryan Kendall, picked up in the Glacier Pilots' implosion, certainly made his mark in Peninsula over five years (2010-2015). His last year in Peninsula, he set the current record for strikeouts in a season (174) and is also the all-time strikeouts leader (1329). Now 37, he is filling out Chugiak's rotation reliably. The Oilers have always been a collection of misfits. There is only one player left from their 2010 championship team, which was at the time sarcastically dubbed the "Peninsula Former Pilots," because they counted ex-Pilots starters Tufts and Kendall and closer John Adams among their number. However, Zander Sabin, who played on that club and then left, returned to the Oilers last year. Other guys who made such a contribution to that run, like Lloyd Flannery, Ernie Geldart, and Ron Quinton, basically disappeared from the map after that year.

The Oilers' hope for the future is...

26-year-old center fielder Phil Livingston. Now in his 4th year with the club, he has improved every year. He fields every outfield position well and has significant experience playing first base as well. He has great speed, hits for average, and has a good eye. His power is also improving. However, the Oilers as a whole are a pretty old team and their days atop the Seward Division are surely numbered (but who will replace them? probably not the aging Jets or the feckless Pilots!).


Sitka Sentinels

Championships: 0
Pennants: 1 (2007)
Best Finish: 2007 (55-41, 1st)
All-time Record: 457-509
All-time Financial Balance: -$92,680

All-time Batting Leaders:

Batting average, season: Jack Hussey, 2012 (.384)
OPS, season: Arnie Heard, 2014 (1.144)
VORP, season: Arnie Heard, 2014 (64.4)
Games, career: Jack Hussey (554)
Runs, season: Jack Hussey, 2012 (84)
Runs, career: Jack Hussey (371)
Home runs, season: Nick Bedford, 2012 (33) *tied for best all-time
Home runs, career: Nick Bedford (79)
RBI, season: Nick Bedford, 2012 (103)
RBI, career: Nick Bedford (241)
Stolen bases, season: Anthony Garant, 2014 (39)
Stolen bases, career: Anthony Garant (104)

All-time Pitching Leaders:

ERA, season: Ray Rayner, 2010 (3.18)
ERA, career: John Lynn (3.12)
Wins, season: Al Simmons, 2014 and John Lynn, 2014 (12)
Wins, career: Al Simmons (51)
Saves, season: Edward Long, 2007 (26)
Saves, career: Brad Morris (75)
Games, career: Trevor Quinton (246)
Games started, career: Al Simmons (117)
K/BB, season: Al Simmons, 2014 (2.29)

When you think of the Sentinels, you think of...

Definitely ol' Hustle, shortstop Jack Hussey. He's been remarkably loyal to this small-town team despite the fact that it's never been the same since giving up a 3-1 in the inaugural Alaskan Championship Series, an event that happened before he even started playing in the league. It's hard to imagine the Sentinels without Hussey, who has started for the team since 2010, moving over to second base this year for the first time. He can hit, boasting a career .405 OBP, run, field, and lead in the clubhouse. Amazingly, he's still just 24 years old! Catcher Ryan Harvey has been with the club since 2011 and is usually a Glove Wizard contender (he won two before coming to Sitka). Pitcher Al Simmons has been around since 2011 as well and has certainly been solid, though not outstanding (career 4.09 ERA). Pasty-faced reliever Trevor Quinton actually has seniority on the club, having been around since 2009, although no one is really sure why (career 4.00 ERA, 66 saves).

The Sentinels' best hope for the future is...

Amateur starter Shane Kodo. At 21, he has been dominating the Training League and will probably come up for pro innings soon. 8th overall pick in the 2015 draft. Other than him, the Sentinels don't really have many young up-and-comers, a real tragedy for a team that has been losing a lot of games lately. No wonder ownership has been publicly pondering whether the franchise can survive.


Whitehorse Yukoners

Championships: 0
Pennants: 0
Best Finish: 2013 (56-52, 1 GB)
All-time Record: 457-509
All-time Financial Balance: -$240,859

All-time Batting Leaders:

Batting average, season: Sloan Pike, 2015 (.386) *all-time record
OPS, season: Aaron Ladner, 2013 (1.048)
VORP, season: Aaron Ladner, 2013 (36.9)
Games, career: Carl White (568)
Runs, season: Aaron Ladner, 2013 (83)
Runs, career: John Dugles (366)
Home runs, season: Aaron Ladner, 2013 and Aaron Ladner, 2011 (28)
Home runs, career: Aaron Ladner (88)
RBI, season: Aaron Ladner, 2015 (86)
RBI, career: Carl White (312)
Stolen bases, season: John Fox, 2014 (38)
Stolen bases, career: John Dugles (115)

All-time Pitching Leaders:

ERA, season: Ron Yuke, 2015 (2.44)
ERA, career: Ron Yuke (2.35)
Wins, season: John Lynn, 2011 (13)
Wins, career: John Mack (81)
Saves, season: Ed Staitie, 2007 (22)
Saves, career: Ed Staitie (64)
Games, career: Thomas Quinn (252)
Games started, career: John Mack (213)
K/BB, season: Ron Yuke, 2015 (5.40)

When you think of the Yukoners (and the King Salmon as well), you think of...

Center fielder John Dugles, starter John Mack, starter Rick Sonier, and increasingly starter and former closer Ron Yuke. Dugles, Mack, and Sonier have all spent their entire careers with Ketchikan-Whitehorse. Dugles broke into the AKL in 2009 and has been a very solid, workmanlike player ever since. His career line is .286/.346/.416, he fields his position reasonably well, and he can steal a base now and then. Mack has been with the team from the very start, often serving as the workhorse atop the rotation. Since the league went to 108 games, he's never pitched fewer than 165 innings in a season! His career ERA is 3.56 and he has made five All-Star teams. Rick Sonier, older brother of the better-known Anthony, Juneau ace, has been with the team since 2009 and compiled a career 63-70 record and 3.81 ERA. Yuke of course has dominated since coming to Whitehorse, winning Pitcher of the Year last year in his first season as a starter.

The Yukoners' hope for the future is...

Second baseman Mike Melton. He was the third overall pick in last year's draft and was immediately brought onto the active roster. He hit badly but is expected to improve. He has great speed and stealing ability but cannot field very well, which is an important downside at his position. They also have a reliever at Dawson City, Calvin Turley, who could be quite good, but he's only 19 and still developing.

[Elendil]

2016 to the All-Star Break

Attendance was up across the league, partly due to the warmer evening weather in the interior this year, and partly due to the competitiveness of the two divisions. Fairbanks initially built up a big lead over Juneau in the Denali Division, at one time posting a winning percentage over .730, but had recently fallen on hard times and allowed the Senators to come close. The Whitehorse Yukoners, meanwhile, were hanging back but doing surprisingly well.

In the Seward Division, the Grizzlies were shocking all observers by taking a commanding lead over the Jets, Glacier Pilots, Bucs, and Oilers, who were all grouped pretty closely together. Late signings John Lockwood and Michael Samson were part of the success, but only a part. They were getting fantastic performances out of veterans like pitcher Dave Gibbon and first baseman Tanner Bourque, and youngsters like pitcher Davis Murdock and third baseman Luther Hemphill, who had taken over the starting job in early June, were developing into great players. It was looking more and more as if small-market Kodiak would get their first pennant in 2016.

Alaskan League Standings, July 27, 2016

Seward Division

KOD - 48-24 - 0 GB
ERC - 39-33 - 9 GB
AGP - 38-34 - 10 GB
PEN - 35-37 - 13 GB
ANC - 35-39 - 14 GB
BET - 26-46 - 22 GB

Denali Division

FAI - 47-25 - 0 GB
JUN - 45-28 - 2.5 GB
WHI - 36-37 - 11.5 GB
MSM - 32-41 - 15.5 GB
NPN - 30-43 - 17.5 GB
SIT - 24-48 - 23 GB

League Events

June 7, 2016

Eugene Pond throws the second no-hitter in league history, as the Fairbanks Goldpanners blank the Whitehorse Yukoners 6-0. In a dominating performance at Growden Memorial Park he strikes out 6 and walks 2 while facing only 28 batters.

June 11, 2016

In a major deal, the cash-starved Nicks send longtime rotation stalwart Chip Becker, 35, to the Glacier Pilots for defensive catcher Tim Rowsell, 29. Rowsell is still making more than he's worth, but the move allows North Pole to cut salary both this year and next (Rowsell will be a free agent at the end of the year). Rowsell would later be waived, and the Glacier Pilots would pick him back up.

June 12, 2016

Fans are in for a rare sight as Goldpanners first baseman Eric Alcock slugs three home runs, and his team crushes Mat-Su 10-1. It is the first time in three years that a player has accomplished this feat. (Jimmy Williams is the only player ever to do it twice.)

June 15, 2016

Three days after Alcock's feat, Kodiak's Tanner Bourque does the same against North Pole, going 4-for-4 with 3 HR and 6 RBI and scoring five runs. Kodiak wins 11-3.

June 25, 2016

Fairbanks left fielder Colin Garrett has perhaps the best single-game offensive performance of the year to date, going 5-for-5 with a double, two singles, two homers, and 10 RBI, pacing the Goldpanners to a 14-3 victory over the Bucs.

July 4, 2016

In front of an Independence Day home crowd, the Peninsula Oilers embarrass themselves, making nine errors and giving up 23 runs to the terrible Sitka Sentinels. Jack Hussey goes 3-for-4 with 3 walks and five runs scored for the victors. Final score: 23-5.

All-Star Rosters Announced

The All-Stars are announced on July 21, amid some concern about a Pacific storm system that could hit Alaska over the weekend.

Scheduled to play for the Seward Division All-Stars are:

1B A. Joly (BET)
LF H. Harkness (ANC)
LF S. Okawa (KOD)
RF D. Squires (PEN)
C K. Morrisey (KOD)
CF D. Hayward (ERC)
RF J. Peterson (AGP) *injured & can't play
3B T. Arnold (ANC)
2B D. Colwell (AGP)
2B J. Ledlow (ERC)
1B T. Bourque (KOD)
SS K. Swerdlow (PEN)
CF W. Dunsmore (AGP)
C G. Anderson (BET)
SP B. Kendall (ERC)
SP D. Murdock (KOD)
SP D. Gibbon (KOD)
SP D. Taggart (KOD)
SP J. Wither (PEN)
CL J. Hilton (ERC)
SP R. Dye (PEN)
SP B. Spencer (AGP)
MR S. Boutillier (KOD)
SP S. Henry (KOD)
SP C. Pena (ANC)

The Denali Division All-Stars will feature these players:

2B J. Hussey (SIT) (flirting with .400 BA and .500 OBP!)
2B J. Abston (NPN) (just inked to a lucrative 3-year extension)
CF E. O'Halloran (NPN)
CF B. Payne (MSM)
2B S. Bradley (MSM)
1B N. Bedford (JUN)
SS B. Small (FAI)
LF L. Drover (MSM) (CPOY candidate)
RF K. Suto (JUN)
3B R. Fox (SIT)
C E. Peterson (FAI)
C G. Britton (JUN)
LF T. Okawa (JUN)
SP A. Sonier (JUN) *injured and can't play
SP R. Yuke (WHI)
SP S. Northeast (JUN)
SP J. Cormack (FAI)
CL F. Arrington (JUN)
SP E. Pond (FAI)
MR J. Funk (FAI)
SP C. Major (NPN)
SP G. Townend (NPN)
CL W. Teranishi (FAI)
CL R. Killy (NPN)
SP D. Smith (FAI) *injured and can't play
SP S. Russell (JUN)

[Elendil]

2016 Season: Finale

All-Star Game Cancelled

As storms pounded Sitka the Friday before the All-Star game was scheduled, the waters rose, and the state declared a state of emergency due to widespread flooding in the panhandle of Alaska. The league made the decision Saturday to cancel the game, as no one had been able to fly into the rain-besotted town for days. Next year, they would try again to hold the annual classic in Sitka.

League Events

July 28, 2016

Jimmy Williams has the third three-homer game of his career. The Miners center fielder leads his club to a 10-8 win over Peninsula. He goes 3-for-3 with a walk and 5 RBI.

August 5, 2016

John Cormack of Fairbanks becomes the first player in Alaskan League history to record back-to-back shutouts. On July 31, he shut down Sitka on three hits and two walks, fanning 7. Today, he absolutely dominates the Oilers, striking out 8, walking none, and giving up 1 hit. Phil Elliott's fourth-inning single is the only blemish on an otherwise-perfect game for Cormack.

August 11, 2016

A post-deadline deal, and it's a doozie. The Glacier Pilots, perhaps giving up on catching Fairbanks in the next 3 weeks, deals slugging left fielder Sean Heath to the Bucs for SP Herb Prat, 25. Heath has been hitting pretty modestly this year, just .288/.358/.488 with 13 HR in 281 AB. Prat, meanwhile, has a 3.97 ERA (well below league average, which will end at 4.61 this year!), with 9 HR, 29 BB, and 55 K in 113 IP. Heath, who makes $76,000 a year, has roughly twice the salary hit that Prat has.

September 1, 2016

With the Grizzlies having wrapped up the Seward Division a good week ago, the Denali Division comes down to the second-to-last regularly scheduled day of the season. With Juneau half a game behind the Goldpanners, Fairbanks finishes their 2016 season with a win over Sitka, meaning that Juneau has to win today and again in their makeup game with Sitka on the 3rd just to tie Fairbanks. They fail to do so, losing to Mat-Su 7-5 and giving the once-humble Goldpanners their first-ever Denali Division crown.

Final standings

Seward Division

KOD: 70-38
AGP: 60-48
ANC: 54-54
ERC: 54-54
PEN: 51-57
BET: 38-70

Denali Division

FAI: 69-39
JUN: 68-40
MSM: 52-56
NPN: 48-60
WHI: 44-64
SIT: 40-68

Bethel beats out Sitka in the #1 draft pick sweepstakes!

Coming up... ACS preview.

[Elendil]

2016 Alaskan Championship Series Preview

This series is the first in six years not to feature a team from the state's capital (Juneau) or its largest city (Anchorage borough). Remarkably, it is the first series in seven years in which neither team had previously been to a championship series.

Kodiak beat Fairbanks by a game for home-field advantage in the ACS. The teams had the same Pythagorean record: 65-43. Fairbanks won the season series with Kodiak, 5-3. With the unbalanced schedules, it's fair to say that Kodiak's division was the slightly tougher one. Seward Division teams were 6 games above .500. Neither team has any major injuries.

Batting Stats

Name	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	TB	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
Stanley Okawa LF	102	408	73	135	38	2	5	59	192	45	46	2	1	.331	.398	.471	.868
Mark Navarro 2B	102	402	68	120	27	3	6	49	171	46	42	0	1	.299	.369	.425	.795
Karl Morrisey C	92	377	67	120	19	1	18	64	195	52	52	0	0	.318	.401	.517	.919
Michael Samson RF	99	371	76	91	12	4	28	82	195	57	20	1	1	.245	.343	.526	.868
Tanner Bourque 1B	105	338	73	95	16	6	22	73	189	51	36	0	1	.281	.376	.559	.935
Stan Smart SS	103	304	49	82	25	1	9	56	136	43	36	0	0	.270	.365	.447	.812
Scott Wilkinson SS	94	294	40	63	23	5	7	36	117	25	35	6	1	.214	.276	.398	.674
Mike Collette CF	76	291	50	89	16	3	9	35	138	33	44	3	0	.306	.381	.474	.855
Luther Hemphill 3B	85	247	41	80	29	4	5	37	132	20	32	1	0	.324	.385	.534	.920
Gregg Bolduc CF	51	134	23	42	6	0	8	33	72	3	8	3	1	.313	.326	.537	.864
Don Goodyear 1B	73	120	18	26	6	1	5	22	49	15	20	0	0	.217	.301	.408	.710
Arthur Thibodeau CF	33	83	10	20	2	0	1	13	25	1	15	3	2	.241	.250	.301	.551
Carl White C	33	82	19	23	2	0	5	19	40	8	12	0	0	.280	.344	.488	.832
Bill O'Farrell RF	56	63	8	15	3	0	3	13	27	6	10	1	0	.238	.300	.429	.729
Sam Lockwood SP	23	50	3	8	1	0	0	1	9	0	5	0	0	.160	.160	.180	.340
Steven Henry SP	23	49	5	8	2	0	0	1	10	0	10	0	0	.163	.163	.204	.367
Davis Murdock SP	22	47	7	8	2	0	0	3	10	1	8	0	0	.170	.184	.213	.396
Don Taggart MR	21	43	3	8	1	0	0	3	9	0	11	0	0	.186	.186	.209	.395
Dave Gibbon MR	27	30	4	8	2	0	0	4	10	0	4	0	0	.267	.290	.333	.624
Mark Oxford LF	16	29	7	11	1	0	1	4	15	2	5	0	0	.379	.457	.517	.974
Kelyn Brisson LF	12	17	2	6	1	0	0	1	7	0	2	0	1	.353	.353	.412	.765
Joe Mews MR	20	10	1	2	1	0	1	3	6	0	4	0	0	.200	.200	.600	.800
René Fortier 2B	6	7	1	1	0	1	0	0	3	0	3	1	0	.143	.143	.429	.571
Stuart Boutillier CL	40	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000
Waylon Ellsworth MR	34	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000
Ben Bow MR	35	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000
Cole Walters MR	44	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1.000	1.000	1.000	2.000
Herman Gale MR	12	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000
Fred McBean MR	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000
Al Peyton MR	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000
Todd Simmons MR	36	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000

Name	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	TB	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
Brett Small SS	106	420	65	129	22	5	7	53	182	41	69	19	5	.307	.370	.433	.804
Toby Burns 1B	103	373	63	109	18	7	17	60	192	35	52	3	7	.292	.355	.515	.870
Camden Neal CF	91	364	63	102	26	5	2	32	144	28	50	30	7	.280	.334	.396	.730
Colin Garrett LF	91	357	66	106	27	1	17	58	186	42	37	16	8	.297	.372	.521	.893
Edward Peterson C	96	354	55	99	21	4	15	66	173	8	49	2	0	.280	.303	.489	.791
Matthew Bartholomew RF	101	342	46	92	22	3	8	37	144	39	36	2	2	.269	.341	.421	.762
Eric Alcock C	95	338	63	100	19	0	25	70	194	27	44	1	0	.296	.344	.574	.918
A.J. Brisebois 3B	99	277	29	69	15	1	7	40	107	20	52	0	0	.249	.314	.386	.700
Anthony Garant CF	90	235	28	61	13	5	3	29	93	17	39	17	5	.260	.305	.396	.700
Garry Garrett 2B	83	203	35	57	5	1	6	21	82	13	28	1	1	.281	.330	.404	.734
Doug Riley LF	86	165	23	49	11	0	3	23	69	14	19	0	0	.297	.354	.418	.772
Mark Deacon SP	21	55	7	13	1	0	0	4	14	2	9	0	0	.236	.263	.255	.518
John Cormack SP	22	54	1	3	0	0	0	2	3	0	15	0	0	.056	.056	.056	.111
Eugene Pond SP	23	46	1	6	1	0	0	5	7	0	7	0	0	.130	.128	.152	.280
Miles Pyke RF	50	46	1	11	2	1	0	9	15	1	4	0	0	.239	.250	.326	.576
Larry Corbitt SP	17	41	1	5	0	0	0	2	5	0	5	0	0	.122	.122	.122	.244
Dwayne Smith SP	17	40	1	3	0	0	0	1	3	0	11	0	0	.075	.075	.075	.150
Jeremy Bourgeois 2B	5	14	1	2	0	0	0	0	2	1	2	0	0	.143	.200	.143	.343
Dave King 1B	9	10	0	3	0	0	0	0	3	0	1	0	0	.300	.300	.300	.600
Sawao Kawano MR	9	8	0	2	1	0	0	4	3	0	1	0	0	.250	.222	.375	.597
Jason Mori RF	7	8	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000
Conrad Poor SP	3	7	2	1	0	0	0	1	1	0	2	0	0	.143	.250	.143	.393
Andrew Chen LF	6	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000
Henry Owens SS	1	4	0	1	1	0	0	0	2	0	1	0	0	.250	.250	.500	.750
Ford Currell MR	24	3	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	.333	.333	.333	.667
Terry Shannon 2B	7	3	0	1	1	0	0	0	2	0	1	0	0	.333	.333	.667	1.000
Rawley Sims MR	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000
Walter Teranishi CL	40	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000
Leo Caulfield MR	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000
Jon Funk MR	37	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000
Doug Miles MR	31	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000
Brad Morris MR	20	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000

During the regular season, Kodiak posted a team .279/.350/.462 line, scoring 648 runs, while Fairbanks posted a team .272/.325/.431 line, scoring 551 runs. Kodiak had only 21 stolen bases, while Goldpanners stole 91 bases (but were caught 35 times).

Advantage: KODIAK

Pitching Stats

Name	W	L	SV	ERA	G	GS	IP	HA	R	ER	HR	BB	K	WHIP	OAVG	BABIP
Davis Murdock SP	13	4	1	3.12	22	21	138.2	127	51	48	12	31	113	1.14	.241	.286
Dave Gibbon MR	10	3	0	3.12	27	13	109.2	107	50	38	3	27	77	1.22	.252	.302
Stuart Boutillier CL	10	3	2	3.18	40	0	51.0	51	24	18	4	20	43	1.39	.263	.320
Cole Walters MR	2	4	24	3.35	44	0	43.0	57	19	16	3	10	19	1.56	.317	.342
Steven Henry SP	10	6	0	3.40	23	23	151.0	135	66	57	14	48	117	1.21	.242	.283
Sam Lockwood SP	9	3	0	3.47	23	23	147.2	145	68	57	7	47	71	1.30	.254	.280
Don Taggart MR	6	6	0	4.52	21	21	131.1	148	78	66	15	35	96	1.39	.287	.329
Todd Simmons MR	2	0	1	5.11	36	0	44.0	44	31	25	8	14	38	1.32	.257	.288
Waylon Ellsworth MR	3	1	2	5.22	34	0	39.2	53	28	23	6	22	20	1.89	.317	.333
Herman Gale MR	1	0	0	5.40	12	0	15.0	20	10	9	3	5	10	1.67	.323	.347
Al Peyton MR	0	0	0	5.79	4	0	4.2	6	3	3	0	2	2	1.71	.286	.316
Ben Bow MR	2	3	4	7.39	35	0	35.1	45	32	29	10	13	31	1.64	.300	.321
Fred McBean MR	0	0	0	8.31	4	0	4.1	7	4	4	1	6	6	3.00	.350	.462
Joe Mews MR	2	5	2	9.53	20	7	45.1	72	54	48	6	23	17	2.10	.351	.363

Name	W	L	SV	ERA	G	GS	IP	HA	R	ER	HR	BB	K	WHIP	OAVG	BABIP
Walter Teranishi CL	3	6	26	1.91	40	0	37.2	37	15	8	1	13	29	1.33	.252	.308
Rawley Sims MR	0	0	0	2.45	1	0	3.2	4	3	1	0	3	0	1.91	.308	.308
Jon Funk MR	4	1	3	2.53	37	0	46.1	34	16	13	2	8	21	0.91	.197	.213
John Cormack SP	10	6	0	2.89	22	22	162.0	127	67	52	10	31	139	0.98	.206	.250
Conrad Poor SP	2	1	0	2.96	3	3	24.1	20	9	8	3	7	16	1.11	.215	.230
Mark Deacon SP	10	4	0	3.16	21	21	156.2	142	70	55	12	48	112	1.21	.238	.275
Eugene Pond SP	15	6	0	3.20	23	23	154.2	153	70	55	16	38	130	1.23	.257	.305
Dwayne Smith SP	7	8	0	3.56	17	17	124.0	121	57	49	13	33	81	1.24	.253	.281
Larry Corbitt SP	11	1	0	3.59	17	17	120.1	119	56	48	6	40	70	1.32	.253	.287
Ford Currell MR	1	1	0	3.82	24	0	30.2	33	15	13	7	7	34	1.30	.282	.342
Doug Miles MR	4	1	0	3.83	31	0	42.1	38	18	18	6	13	35	1.20	.232	.260
Brad Morris MR	0	1	2	4.40	20	0	30.2	32	17	15	4	8	17	1.30	.264	.280
Sawao Kawano MR	2	3	0	4.66	9	5	36.2	43	23	19	2	10	24	1.45	.297	.345
Leo Caulfield MR	0	0	0	4.77	4	0	5.2	3	3	3	1	2	12	0.88	.158	.333

The Grizzlies posted a team ERA of 4.13 and allowed 518 runs total this year, compared to an ERA of 3.29 for Fairbanks and 439 total runs allowed. Fairbanks pitchers struck out 720 batters and walked 261, compared to 660 and 303 for Kodiak, respectively. Kodiak also allowed 9 more homers (92 to 83). Fairbanks' advantage over Kodiak narrows in starting pitching ERA (3.32 to 3.81), but widens dramatically in bullpen ERA (3.18 to 4.91).

The short series favors Kodiak's rotation. Fairbanks will probably put Mark Deacon and John Corbitt in the bullpen, both very talented starting pitchers. Or they might take Dwayne Smith out of the rotation, who's also very talented. Kodiak, meanwhile, will probably put Taggart and Gibbon in the bullpen. Gibbon pitched well this year, but it could have been fluky - he's been shaky down the stretch. One area where Kodiak will be weak, though, is starter endurance. Henry and Murdock can't go deep into games, and so that shaky bullpen will probably get a lot of innings.

The biggest defensive difference between the two clubs actually might be fielding rather than pitching. Kodiak gave up an opposition BABIP of .307, five points higher than the league average. Fairbanks posted a league-best .279. Kodiak allowed fewer errors, however: 113 compared to 140. The two teams were basically equal in double plays (87 for Kodiak, 88 for Fairbanks). Kodiak had slightly better experience throwing out base stealers (31.1% to Fairbanks' 26.7%).

Advantage: FAIRBANKS

Managing & Intangibles

Fairbanks' manager is 65-year-old Bob Adamson, last year's Manager of the Year and a highly respected veteran of the league. Kodiak's manager is 58-year-old Ron Cardinal, also very well respected for his past successes, including a 2009 championship with Juneau and a 2014 championship with Anchorage. If anything, Cardinal might be the better tactical mind, but his advantage here shouldn't be huge.

Both teams have some "veteran leadership" to go with their young stars in the making, but one might suspect that Fairbanks has the greater esprit de corps, given that their team has been largely intact for the past two years and made a serious run at the pennant last year. Some observers still see Kodiak's surprising season as fluky and wonder whether all the new players have really "gelled" into a single unit.

Advantage: EVEN

Prediction

I tend to agree with those "observers" who were surprised by Kodiak's performance, and I have to think that they would come back to earth eventually if the season were played out longer. However, both teams had stellar records, and this series could end up being one of the greatest in Alaskan League history. Fairbanks in six.

[Elendil]

2016 Alaskan Championship Series

Game One

Kodiak Bears

John Cormack (10-6, 2.89)

vs.


Steven Henry (10-6, 3.40)

September 5, 2016 - A sellout crowd of 1,169 came out on a rainy Monday evening to watch the first-ever Alaskan Championship Series game in Kodiak. Despite the chill, the crowd was up and cheering as Henry retired the Goldpanners 1-2-3 in the top of the 1st.

In the 2nd inning, however, Fairbanks drew first blood. Colin Garrett tripled but came up hobbling and was taken out for a pinch-runner. He had a strained hamstring and would miss the rest of the series - a big blow to Fairbanks' offense.

But the Goldpanners didn't know that yet, and they didn't let it bother them. Bartholomew brought a run in on a groundout, then Brett Small hit a second triple. He came in Burns grounded out. 2-0 Fairbanks.

In the 4th, Small homered to put Fairbanks up 3-0. Nice start to the series for him!

The Grizzlies finally got on the board in the 6th when Samson hit a solo home run of his own, but otherwise Cormack was dominant.

A rain delay in the 7th meant Henry had to leave, but not before giving up a leadoff base on balls that would come around to score and make it 4-1. Cormack also left the game, and Mark Deacon and Larry Corbitt closed it out nicely. Final score: Fairbanks 5, Kodiak 1. Fairbanks takes a 1-0 series lead.

Game Two


Eugene Pond (15-6, 3.20)

vs.


Sam Lockwood (9-3, 3.47)

September 6, 2016 - Another sellout crowd and a clear, brisk evening this time, with the wind blowing out to dead center.

Suffice it to say that this was not the sort of pitchers' duel that most would have predicted between these two teams. Both pitchers looked sharp in the first, but in the second, Kodiak exploded.

Michael Samson started it off with a leadoff triple; then Bourque singled him in. Hemphill struck out, Collette singled, and Wilkinson walked, to bring up the pitcher with the bases loaded. Lockwood came through, singling past a diving shortstop; two runs scored. After another walk, single, and fielder's choice, it was 5-0 Kodiak.

But they weren't done. In the 3rd inning, the Grizzlies added three more runs, on four doubles! 8-0 Kodiak. Pond was lifted for Larry Corbitt, having endured one of the worst performances of his career.

After five innings, it was 9-1, but Fairbanks kept plugging away. In the 6th, a single by Neal, followed by a stolen base, an error, and a triple by Bartholomew got two of the runs back.

Bourque homered off Corbitt in the 6th to make it 10-3. But that was just the start. The Grizzlies chased Corbitt in the 7th, then beat up on star reliever Fred Currell. He didn't get a single out before he was lifted for Doug Miles, who got the final two outs after the Grizzlies had already batted around. Score? 20-3. The Grizzlies had put up a 10 spot.

The Goldpanners got back 4 in the 9th on two home runs, but it was not nearly enough. The Grizzlies had made a huge statement in this series by walloping Fairbanks, 20-7. The series now went to Fairbanks tied 1-1.

Game Three

Aerial view of Fairbanks

Davis Murdock (13-4, 3.12)

vs.


Dwayne Smith (7-8, 3.56)

September 8, 2016 - For the first time ever, the Goldpanners sold out Growden Memorial Park, as 3,484 fans swarmed in to see their team play on a clear, calm Thursday evening.

The Goldpanners showed some life early, as Neal struck a leadoff single. He then was caught stealing, and second baseman Garry Garrett's single that followed went for naught.

In the 2nd, the Grizzlies threatened but couldn't score. In the bottom half, Brett Small broke out the lumber, launching a home run to left field. 1-0 Fairbanks.

Both pitchers were solid. The Grizzlies finally scored in the 4th, when Mike Collette hit a solo homer of his own. The game of dueling homers continued when the Grizzlies took their first lead of the game in the next inning on a Mark Navarro big fly. 2-1 Kodiak.

Davis Murdock ended up pitching eight innings, scattering six hits, walking none, and striking out eight. On the Fairbanks side, Smith pitched up until one out in the ninth, striking out 11 and walking 5. However, he gave up a third solo home run in the 8th, to Michael Samson.

In the 9th, Boutillier - who had begun closing games for the Grizzlies in mid-August - nailed down the win. Final score: Kodiak 3, Fairbanks 1. Kodiak now leads the series, 2 games to 1.

Game Four

Henry vs. Cormack

September 9, 2016 - In the rematch of game 1, the Goldpanners hoped that their ace would shut down the Grizzly offense once again.

In fact, this turned out to be another fine pitching performance from both sides. The Grizzlies and Panners traded goose eggs through the first four innings.

In the bottom of the 5th, the wheels came off for Kodiak, defensively. After Bartholomew drew a leadoff walk, shaky third baseman Hemphill allowed Brisebois to reach on error, putting runners on the corners.

Henry struck out the pitcher, but then a passed ball to Camden Neal allowed Bartholomew to scamper home. Neal then doubled in Brisebois on a hard grounder that got past Hemphill and down the line. With two outs, Doug Riley doubled to right, giving Fairbanks a 3-0 lead.

It would not be enough. In the 8th inning, Hemphill finally redeemed himself, and the Grizzlies finally solved Cormack. Collette drew a nine-pitch walk to lead off the inning. Hemphill then drove one off the wall in right-center and motored into third for a triple. His heads-up play allowed him to score when pinch-hitter Gregg Bolduc reached on an infield single. Now 3-2 with a man on first and nobody out. With catcher Morrisey at the plate, Bolduc attempted a steal on the first pitch, and the throw got away from the second baseman, allowing Bolduc to move over to third. Morrisey then lined a 3-2 pitch into the hole in left, allowing Bolduc to score. Cormack got the final three hitters, but the damage was done, and the game was tied.

In the bottom of the 8th, Kodiak closer Stuart Boutillier came in to try to get the win, while Bolduc moved into center.

With one out, catcher Eric Alcock drew a nine-pitch walk (sound familiar?), and Small followed it up with another walk. Boutillier then got Toby Burns to ground to the second baseman, but he booted it, loading the bases. The corners came in.

Bartholomew then lined a pitch into right field, allowing two runs to score. A.J. Brisebois came up and hit a double, plating two more runs, but he was gunned down trying to stretch it to a triple. Boutillier got the last hitter, but it was now 7-3 Fairbanks.

In the 9th, Ford Currell, who'd been so abused in Game 2, came in to close things out (not a save situation, however). The Grizzlies did not score, giving Fairbanks the 7-3 victory and tying the series at 2. So far the excitement of this ACS had not disappointed fans of the league! There's one more game in Fairbanks to come, a pivotal game five.

[Elendil]

Game Five

Growden Memorial Park features an artificial-turf infield

Lockwood vs. Pond

September 10, 2016 - As a Saturday game, this one was played in the relative warmth of a sunny afternoon.

Pond was looking to redeem himself after that horrendous Game 2 performance, but Kodiak jumped on him right away, Michael Samson slugging a two-run homer in the top of the first. Fairbanks responded, though, when Neal doubled, stole third, and then scored in the bottom half.

Pond struck out the side in the 2nd and looked as if he might be hitting his stride. Fairbanks tied it up with an RBI double by Camden Neal.

But Pond then ran into traffic again in the 3rd, giving up a single, two doubles, and a walk for two runs. His stuff and control were by and large very good, but the Grizzly hitters were just smacking the ball to the right spots.

The score remained 4-2 until the bottom of the 5th, both starting pitchers still in the game. Eric Alcock gave the Goldpanners their first lead of the game with a three-run shot to left-center.

Lockwood & Pond each pitched another inning, and Cole Walters came in to pitch for Kodiak in the bottom of the 7th. He gave up an insurance run to Fairbanks on an RBI double by Brett Small.

The Fairbanks bullpen - Mark Deacon, Jon Funk, and Walter Teranishi - shut down the Kodiak offense for the final three innings, and Fairbanks sealed up the come-from-behind victory. Final score: Fairbanks 6, Kodiak 4. Series lead: 3-2.

Game Six

Aerial view of Kodiak Island

Smith vs. Murdock

September 12, 2016 - It was a chilly evening with the wind blowing in, but over 1,100 fans showed up to try to will their team to victory in the final two games of the series.

Fairbanks scored first to a hushed crowd. In the top of the 2nd, Murdock loaded the bases then threw a wild pitch to the pitcher, allowing a run to score.

Kodiak got the fans cheering again when they took the lead in the 3rd, Stanley Okawa striking a two-run double to score Morrisey and Navarro.

In the top of the 4th, Brett Small - who'd been dynamite this series - tied it up with a solo homer that just got over the left field wall.

Smith, meanwhile, was coasting, and would end up throwing only 98 pitches in eight innings of no-walk, four-strikeout work. Fairbanks, meanwhile, took the lead in the 5th when Brisebois hit a solo home run.

It was 4-2 by the bottom of the 9th, and the Panners' lights-out closer, Walter Teranishi, came into the game. The Grizzlies looked all but done.

With one out, Okawa hit a groundball single to give his team life. Then Samson struck out, and the Goldpanners were an out away from the championship. Tanner Bourque came to the plate, and pulled a single into the hole in right, allowing Okawa to make it easily to third.

With two on, two out, Stan Smart hit a 1-1 pitch off the wall in deep left-center. Okawa and Bourque both scored. Smart kept running, and the relay came in to third.

Out! The inning was over, but the Grizzlies had tied the game, sending it to extra innings. Everyone was standing.

In the 10th, the Goldpanners got runners on the corners but failed to score on Walters. Funk set down the Grizzlies 1-2-3 in the bottom half.

Todd Simmons came in for Kodiak in the 11th and had a 1-2-3 inning. Brad Morris came in for Fairbanks and did the same.

In the 12th inning, Simmons worked around an Alcock double to keep the Panners off the board. Morris again set down the Grizzlies in order.

In the 13th inning, Dave Gibbon came in and allowed two walks but got Anthony Garant swinging to end the threat. Mark Deacon came in and gave up just a single but no runs in the bottom half.

Miles Pyke, now playing left field for Fairbanks, led off the 14th inning with a home run off Dave Gibbon. He got the next three outs, but now the Grizzlies' backs were once again up against the wall. In the bottom half, Mark Navarro got a leadoff, infield single off Deacon. Scott Wilkinson pinch-ran and stole second base. Okawa then doubled to straightaway center, scoring Wilkinson! Deacon then got pinch-hitter Carl White swinging and Tanner Bourque on a groundout. Wilkinson moved to third. Smart was walked intentionally to bring Collette to the plate, who lined out to left field. We would go to the 15th inning tied 5-5.

Ben Bow came in to pitch for Kodiak, while Wilkinson took over at short, allowing Smart to move to third and Hemphill to second. Bow hit Brisebois and then gave up a single to pinch-hitter Pierce Ashford with one out, but he then struck out Neal and Garant to end the inning. Doug Miles then came in and kept the Grizzlies scoreless.

Bow pitched a scoreless 16th for Kodiak. In the bottom half, Okawa worked a leadoff single, then moved to second on a bunt by pinch-hitter Stuart Boutillier - yes, the pitcher! Miles then got Bourque swinging to make it two outs. Smart was intentionally walked, and Collette again failed to come through, flying out to center this time. Still 5-5.

Boutillier stayed in to pitch the 17th. He worked around a Brisebois single to keep Fairbanks off the scoreboard. Miles stayed in for his third inning and got Hemphill, O'Farrell, and Morrisey in order.

In the 18th, the Goldpanners embarked on a two-out rally against Boutillier. Alcock got an infield hit. Bartholomew then struck a line drive that got past the center fielder. The slow runner Alcock was waved around third. The relay came to the plate.

Safe! The Goldpanners took the lead once again, 6-5. Waylon Ellsworth came in and got the final out.

Could the Grizzlies come from behind in a do-or-die situation for the third time in this game? Doug Miles stayed in for a fourth inning. He got Wilkinson to fly out. Okawa then worked a four-pitch walk. Miles had to be tiring. The pitcher, Ellsworth, came up and bunted Okawa to second base. Two outs. Tanner Bourque came up and hit a hard grounder that skipped just past the glove of the second baseman. Okawa, a halfway decent runner, came around third. There was no throw. Kodiak had tied it once again while an out away from elimination!

Smart grounded out to end the inning, and we would go to a 19th inning.

Ellsworth stayed in for Kodiak. Brisebois got a single, and Doug Miles bunted - and reached! First and second, nobody out. Camden Neal flied out. Garant then singled on a hard liner into left, loading the bases with one out. The lefthanded Ellsworth stayed in to face the lefthander Pyke. Pyke got ahold of the first pitch for a sac fly to center. Alcock then flied out, but the damage was done. 7-6 Fairbanks.

Miles stayed in once again for what could be his fifth inning in relief. However, after Collette worked a five-pitch leadoff walk, Larry Corbitt was brought in. He was rested and ready, so no one was sure why the Panners waited so long to bring him in. He got Hemphill to fly out, but then hit O'Farrell with a pitch on a full count. Morrisey came up and grounded out to second, allowing Collette and O'Farrell to move up a base, but there were now two outs. It was now up to Scott Wilkinson, a weak hitter but a Kodiak icon. The first pitch crossed up Alcock and got away from him. Alertly, Morrisey came barreling in home. Corbitt struggled to get home in time - the throw came from Alcock but the burly catcher Morrisey bowled over Corbitt.

Safe! The Grizzlies had come from behind in an elimination situation for the FOURTH time in this game! The fans were hoarse from screaming, but they were standing and jumping up and down. Few of them had left, even though it was well past midnight. In fact, new fans had come in and were standing wherever there was space: behind the backstop, in the aisles, even on top of vehicles parked beyond the outfield fence.

Wilkinson ended up walking to put runners on the corners, but Okawa flied out, sending the game to a 20th inning.

Ellsworth stayed in to pitch to the lefthander Bartholomew but yielded a leadoff walk. Small then grounded out to third, allowing Bartholomew to make it to second. Burns singled on a sharp line drive, and Bartholomew had to hold up at third. With runners on the corners and one out, Ellsworth intentionally walked Brisebois to load the bases, and then was lifted for Conrad Poor, who was actually a waiver-wire acquisition at the very end of the season from Fairbanks!

The pitcher Larry Corbitt was hitting, and the corners came in and hoped for a double play or an easy force out at the plate. The outfield came in as well. It wasn't enough, though. On an 0-1 count, Corbitt hit a lazy single into right-center, and two runs came around to score. 9-7 Fairbanks. Poor got Neal and Garant to end the inning, but now the Goldpanners had a two-run lead. Could Kodiak come back once again?

Corbitt stayed in to pitch the bottom of the 20th. Poor had to stay in to hit. He struck out. Bourque then hit a deep fly ball to left-center, but Pyke made a running grab right at the wall to save an extra-base hit. Stan Smart struck out swinging, and the celebration began. Larry Corbitt was the hero of the game for both his hitting and pitching, and he was mobbed on the mound by his teammates. Crestfallen Kodiak residents just stood there, shellshocked. No one left, and after a few minutes they started the well-worn "Go Grizzlies go!" chant, and the defeated Kodiak club came out of the dugout to acknowledge the fans that had supported them on their unlikely run to game six of the Alaskan Championship Series. In Fairbanks, the game was televised, and by emergency order of the mayor bars were allowed to stay open all night this Monday, allowing celebrations to continue until dawn.

The official game length was six hours and thirty-eight minutes. It was 1:43 AM when the final out was recorded. It wasn't quite the longest game in Alaskan League history, but it just might have been the most exciting.




Brett Small wins the 2016 ACS MVP, hitting 4 home runs, 1 triple, and 1 double in 26 at-bats for 6 RBI and 6 runs scored and a 1.179 OPS.

[Elendil]

Here's the boxscore of that game 6:

Alaskan League Box Scores Fairbanks Goldpanners at Kodiak Grizzlies
Game ID: 14773 - Monday, September 12th, 2016 - Game Log
Monday, September 12th, 2016   1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 R H E Fairbanks Goldpanners 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 2 9 21 0 Kodiak Grizzlies 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 7 13 1
Fairbanks AB R H RBI BB K LOB AVG HR RBI C. Neal CF 9 0 1 0 2 3 7 .290 0 2 G. Garrett 2B 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 .217 0 1    a-A. Garant PH, 2B 8 0 2 0 0 2 7 .333 0 0 D. Riley LF 5 0 1 0 0 0 2 .261 0 1    c-M. Pyke LF 4 1 1 2 0 0 2 .143 1 2 E. Alcock C 9 3 3 0 1 0 4 .250 1 4 M. Bartholomew RF 9 1 3 1 1 1 3 .280 0 6 B. Small SS 8 1 1 2 1 0 6 .269 4 6 T. Burns 1B 9 1 3 0 1 4 2 .269 0 1 A. Brisebois 3B 6 2 3 1 3 0 4 .320 1 4 D. Smith P 3 0 0 0 0 1 2 .200 0 0    b-E. Peterson PH 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .400 1 3    W. Teranishi P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0    J. Funk P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0    d-J. Mori PH 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0    B. Morris P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0    e-A. Chen PH 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0    M. Deacon P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0    f-P. Ashford PH 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1.000 0 0    D. Miles P 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1.000 0 0    L. Corbitt P 1 0 1 2 0 0 0 .333 0 2 Totals 78 9 21 8 9 11 39 a - A. Garant pinch hit for G. Garrett in the 7th b - E. Peterson pinch hit for D. Smith in the 9th c - M. Pyke substituted for D. Riley in the 9th d - J. Mori pinch hit for J. Funk in the 11th e - A. Chen pinch hit for B. Morris in the 13th f - P. Ashford pinch hit for M. Deacon in the 15th BATTING Doubles: E. Alcock (1, 12th Inning off T. Simmons, 0 on, 1 out) M. Bartholomew 2 (3, 10th Inning off C. Walters, 0 on, 1 out; 18th Inning off S. Boutillier, 1 on, 2 outs) Home Runs: B. Small (4, 4th Inning off D. Murdock, 0 on, 2 outs) A. Brisebois (1, 5th Inning off D. Murdock, 0 on, 0 outs) M. Pyke (1, 14th Inning off D. Gibbon, 0 on, 0 outs) Total Bases: D. Miles, L. Corbitt, E. Alcock 4, B. Small 4, T. Burns 3, A. Brisebois 6, M. Bartholomew 5, D. Riley, C. Neal, A. Garant 2, M. Pyke 4, P. Ashford 2-out RBI: B. Small, M. Bartholomew Runners left in scoring position, 2 outs: D. Smith, E. Alcock 2, B. Small 2, T. Burns, A. Brisebois 2, D. Riley, C. Neal, A. Garant 3 Sac Bunt: D. Miles, A. Chen Sac Fly: B. Small, M. Pyke Team LOB: 23 BASERUNNING SB: A. Garant (1) FIELDING Double Plays: 1 (Burns-Small-Burns) PB: E. Alcock	Kodiak AB R H RBI BB K LOB AVG HR RBI K. Morrisey C 7 1 1 0 1 0 3 .345 0 3 M. Navarro 2B 6 1 3 0 0 2 0 .222 1 3    f-S. Wilkinson PR, SS 2 1 0 0 1 1 1 .444 0 3 S. Okawa LF 8 2 4 3 1 0 4 .333 0 7 M. Samson RF 4 0 0 0 0 2 3 .208 3 4    c-T. Simmons P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0    d-D. Goodyear PH 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .500 0 2    e-D. Gibbon P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0    g-C. White PH 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 .000 0 0    h-B. Bow P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0    i-S. Boutillier PH, P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0    j-W. Ellsworth P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0    C. Poor P 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000 0 0 T. Bourque 1B 9 1 2 1 0 2 2 .346 1 4 S. Smart SS, 3B 7 0 2 2 2 2 1 .200 1 5 M. Collette CF 7 1 0 0 1 2 5 .208 1 2 L. Hemphill 3B, 2B 8 0 0 0 0 2 1 .200 0 1 D. Murdock P 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0    D. Taggart P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0    a-G. Bolduc PH 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .333 0 1    C. Walters P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0    b-B. O'Farrell RF 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 .200 0 0 Totals 68 7 13 6 6 15 21 a - G. Bolduc pinch hit for D. Taggart in the 8th b - B. O'Farrell substituted for C. Walters in the 10th c - T. Simmons substituted for M. Samson in the 10th d - D. Goodyear pinch hit for T. Simmons in the 12th e - D. Gibbon substituted for D. Goodyear in the 13th f - S. Wilkinson pinch ran for M. Navarro in the 14th g - C. White pinch hit for D. Gibbon in the 14th h - B. Bow substituted for C. White in the 15th i - S. Boutillier pinch hit for B. Bow in the 16th j - W. Ellsworth substituted for S. Boutillier in the 18th BATTING Doubles: S. Okawa 2 (3, 3rd Inning off D. Smith, 2 on, 2 outs; 14th Inning off M. Deacon, 1 on, 0 outs) S. Smart (1, 9th Inning off W. Teranishi, 2 on, 2 outs) M. Navarro (2, 3rd Inning off D. Smith, 1 on, 2 outs) Total Bases: S. Okawa 6, S. Smart 3, T. Bourque 2, K. Morrisey, M. Navarro 4, B. O'Farrell 2-out RBI: S. Okawa, S. Smart, T. Bourque Runners left in scoring position, 2 outs: S. Okawa, M. Collette 2, M. Samson 2 GIDP: S. Okawa Sac Bunt: S. Boutillier, W. Ellsworth Team LOB: 11 BASERUNNING SB: S. Wilkinson (1) FIELDING Errors: S. Wilkinson
Fairbanks IP H R ER BB K HR PI PS ERA D. Smith 8.0 5 2 2 0 4 0 98 66 2.76 W. Teranishi BS (1) 1.0 3 2 2 0 2 0 23 14 9.00 J. Funk 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 11 7 0.00 B. Morris 2.0 0 0 0 0 2 0 28 18 0.00 M. Deacon 2.0 3 1 1 1 1 0 37 24 1.59 D. Miles 4.0 2 2 1 4 3 0 63 33 1.59 L. Corbitt W (1-0)BS (1) 2.0 0 0 0 1 2 0 35 21 6.75 PITCHING Game Score: D. Smith 68 Batters Faced: D. Smith 28, W. Teranishi 5, J. Funk 3, B. Morris 6, M. Deacon 10, D. Miles 18, L. Corbitt 8 Ground Outs - Fly Outs: D. Smith 10-8, W. Teranishi 0-0, J. Funk 2-0, B. Morris 2-2, M. Deacon 3-2, D. Miles 6-3, L. Corbitt 1-3 Pitches - Strikes: D. Smith 98-66, W. Teranishi 23-14, J. Funk 11-7, B. Morris 28-18, M. Deacon 37-24, D. Miles 63-33, L. Corbitt 35-21 Inherited Runners - Scored: L. Corbitt 1-1 HB: D. Smith, L. Corbitt	Kodiak IP H R ER BB K HR PI PS ERA D. Murdock 5.2 6 4 4 2 3 2 84 55 3.29 D. Taggart 2.1 1 0 0 1 1 0 40 25 0.00 C. Walters 1.2 3 0 0 1 0 0 31 19 2.70 T. Simmons 2.1 1 0 0 0 0 0 22 15 0.00 D. Gibbon 2.0 1 1 1 2 2 1 38 22 4.50 B. Bow 2.0 1 0 0 0 3 0 45 31 0.00 S. Boutillier 1.2 3 1 1 1 1 0 31 22 7.36 W. Ellsworth L (0-1) 1.2 4 3 3 2 1 0 47 23 16.21 C. Poor 0.2 1 0 0 0 0 0 9 7 0.00 PITCHING Game Score: D. Murdock 42 Batters Faced: D. Murdock 25, D. Taggart 9, C. Walters 9, T. Simmons 8, D. Gibbon 9, B. Bow 9, S. Boutillier 9, W. Ellsworth 11, C. Poor 3 Ground Outs - Fly Outs: D. Murdock 8-6, D. Taggart 4-2, C. Walters 2-3, T. Simmons 3-4, D. Gibbon 4-0, B. Bow 1-2, S. Boutillier 3-1, W. Ellsworth 1-3, C. Poor 1-1 Pitches - Strikes: D. Murdock 84-55, D. Taggart 40-25, C. Walters 31-19, T. Simmons 22-15, D. Gibbon 38-22, B. Bow 45-31, S. Boutillier 31-22, W. Ellsworth 47-23, C. Poor 9-7 Inherited Runners - Scored: D. Taggart 2-0, T. Simmons 2-0, W. Ellsworth 2-0, C. Poor 3-2 WP: D. Murdock HB: B. Bow
GAME NOTES Player of the Game: S. Okawa Ballpark: Kodiak Island Park Weather: Partly Cloudy (43 degrees), wind blowing in from left at 11 mph Start Time: 7:05 pm Time: 6:38 Attendance: 1158

[Elendil]

2016 Year in Review

The league ERA was second highest ever at 4.61, and the league batting average was a ridiculous .276. The two main factors seem to be that the dominant pitchers of the league have been aging and becoming less dominant, and teams are running out fielders who are just not as good at getting to balls anymore.

League Standings Seward Division Team W L WPct GB R RA Kodiak Grizzlies 70 38 .648 - 648 518 Anchorage (AGP) Glacier Pilots 60 48 .556 10.0 641 557 Chugiak Jets 54 54 .500 16.0 569 561 Anchorage (ANC) Bucs 54 54 .500 16.0 603 590 Peninsula Oilers 51 57 .472 19.0 645 654 Bethel Mushers 38 70 .352 32.0 555 689 Denali Division Team W L WPct GB R RA Fairbanks Goldpanners 69 39 .639 - 551 439 Juneau Senators 68 40 .630 1.0 633 487 Mat-Su Miners 52 56 .481 17.0 587 646 North Pole Nicks 48 60 .444 21.0 599 651 Whitehorse Yukoners 44 64 .407 25.0 496 646 Sitka Sentinels 40 68 .370 29.0 493 582

Post-Season Results Alaskan Championship Series Fairbanks over Kodiak, 4-2

League Batting Stats Team R/G R G AB H 2B 3B HR BB SO SB AVG OBP SLG OPS Kodiak Grizzlies 6.0 648 108 3805 1062 235 31 133 408 462 21 .279 .350 .462 .812 Peninsula Oilers 6.0 645 108 3779 1057 203 31 108 365 528 97 .280 .345 .436 .781 Anchorage (AGP) Glacier Pilots 5.9 641 108 3835 1096 239 52 115 343 586 70 .286 .346 .465 .811 Juneau Senators 5.9 633 108 3764 1048 193 29 124 367 502 74 .278 .349 .444 .793 Anchorage (ANC) Bucs 5.6 603 108 3787 1068 236 20 99 378 565 38 .282 .351 .433 .784 North Pole Nicks 5.5 599 108 3845 1042 179 28 116 311 568 64 .271 .330 .423 .753 Mat-Su Miners 5.4 587 108 3795 1058 177 33 86 363 580 82 .279 .345 .411 .755 Chugiak Jets 5.3 569 108 3879 1130 206 29 88 366 606 55 .291 .355 .427 .782 Bethel Mushers 5.1 555 108 3820 1082 199 31 78 281 564 87 .283 .340 .413 .753 Fairbanks Goldpanners 5.1 551 108 3774 1025 206 33 110 288 537 91 .272 .325 .431 .756 Whitehorse Yukoners 4.6 496 108 3786 971 188 26 66 251 548 113 .256 .307 .372 .679 Sitka Sentinels 4.6 493 108 3751 963 171 24 66 346 590 59 .257 .321 .368 .689 Totals 5.4 7020 1296 45620 12602 2432 367 1189 4067 6636 851 .276 .339 .424 .763 Average * 585 108 3802 1050 203 31 99 339 553 71 * * * *

League Pitching Stats Team R/G R G CG SHO SV ERA IP HA HRA BB K WHIP OAVG BABIP Fairbanks Goldpanners 4.1 439 108 19 7 31 3.29 975.2 906 83 261 720 1.20 .242 .279 Juneau Senators 4.5 487 108 16 3 30 3.71 959.1 950 100 280 615 1.28 .256 .283 Kodiak Grizzlies 4.8 518 108 4 5 36 4.13 960.2 1017 92 303 660 1.37 .270 .307 Anchorage (AGP) Glacier Pilots 5.2 557 108 26 6 21 4.54 957.2 1085 100 279 449 1.42 .282 .299 Chugiak Jets 5.2 561 108 14 5 25 4.30 968.2 970 100 388 590 1.40 .258 .284 Sitka Sentinels 5.4 582 108 18 0 19 4.94 946.2 1047 97 357 451 1.48 .281 .299 Anchorage (ANC) Bucs 5.5 590 108 13 4 23 4.49 956.2 1040 80 303 509 1.40 .275 .300 Mat-Su Miners 6.0 646 108 5 4 33 5.27 956.2 1096 123 399 453 1.56 .285 .297 Whitehorse Yukoners 6.0 646 108 11 4 20 4.94 957.1 1122 101 361 502 1.55 .292 .315 North Pole Nicks 6.0 651 108 6 5 20 4.91 962.2 1099 98 398 623 1.56 .283 .316 Peninsula Oilers 6.1 654 108 2 2 26 5.13 947.2 1119 95 332 589 1.53 .291 .323 Bethel Mushers 6.4 689 108 13 4 17 5.69 946.0 1151 120 406 475 1.65 .300 .317 Totals 5.4 7020 1296 147 49 301 4.61 11495.2 12602 1189 4067 6636 1.45 .276 .302 Average * 585 108 12 4 25 * 958 1050 99 339 553 * * *

League Miscellaneous Stats Team ExpW ExpL Diff AS aAS BAW PAW RAW FAW Attendance Payroll Balance Fairbanks Goldpanners 65 43 4 7 21 0 1 1 4 83,896 $556,840 $221,008 Juneau Senators 67 41 1 8 51 1 1 2 4 72,519 $924,456 $21,259 Kodiak Grizzlies 65 43 5 8 29 0 0 0 1 66,422 $481,163 $213,455 Anchorage (AGP) Glacier Pilots 61 47 -1 4 46 1 0 1 10 64,482 $824,692 $-169,106 Chugiak Jets 55 53 -1 4 55 0 1 0 9 62,447 $719,370 $-53,623 Sitka Sentinels 46 62 -6 2 13 1 0 0 7 35,216 $321,248 $85,187 Anchorage (ANC) Bucs 55 53 -1 3 38 1 0 0 4 49,263 $748,503 $-38,235 Mat-Su Miners 49 59 3 3 33 0 0 0 1 45,189 $619,636 $-37,244 Whitehorse Yukoners 41 67 3 1 22 0 1 1 9 42,401 $504,204 $-65,242 North Pole Nicks 50 58 -2 5 42 1 3 0 6 44,471 $457,336 $19,310 Peninsula Oilers 53 55 -2 4 38 0 1 1 8 57,781 $759,503 $-220,432 Bethel Mushers 43 65 -5 2 13 2 0 1 3 33,358 $398,556 $-133,196

League Award Winners Hitter of the Year Award Jack Hussey SIT .355/.446/.567, 11 HR, 68 RBI, 63.2 VORP * Pitcher of the Year Award John Cormack FAI 10-6, 2.89 ERA, 162.0 IP, 139 K, 48.4 VORP * Rookie of the Year Award Ken Talley BET .342/.405/.556, 20 HR, 89 RBI, 40.6 VORP * Glove Wizard Award Pitcher John Mack WHI .948 PCT., 13 PO, 42 A, 3.10 RANGE * Catcher Edward Peterson FAI .989 PCT., 567 PO, 64 A, 30.1 CS % * First Base Nick Bedford JUN .994 PCT., 715 PO, 58 A, 11.61 RANGE * Second Base Jack Hussey SIT .981 PCT., 226 PO, 249 A, 5.28 RANGE * Third Base A.J. Brisebois FAI .948 PCT., 60 PO, 195 A, 3.37 RANGE * Shortstop Sherman Ferris AGP .979 PCT., 131 PO, 243 A, 5.14 RANGE * Left Field Ken Talley BET .984 PCT., 237 PO, 4 A, 2.44 RANGE * Center Field Nelson Cormack SIT .977 PCT., 246 PO, 6 A, 3.58 RANGE * Right Field Rick Allen SIT .984 PCT., 178 PO, 6 A, 2.53 RANGE *

League All-Stars Ralph Fox Davis Murdock Gordon Anderson Tommy Okawa Bryan Kendall Elvis O'Halloran Ron Yuke Tim Arnold Dave Gibbon Adam Joly Ken Swerdlow Tanner Bourque Dave Colwell Scott Bradley Nick Bedford Kisei Suto Don Taggart Jason Hilton Wynn Dunsmore John Abston Scott Northeast Chance Major Steven Henry Johnny Ledlow Ryan Dye Harry Harkness Stanley Okawa Walter Teranishi Geoffrey Townend Dwayne Smith

League Batting Leaderboards Batting AVG J. Hussey SIT .355 L. Drover MSM .346 K. Talley BET .342 G. Johnson ERC .341 A. Joly BET .337 On-Base PCT T. Okawa JUN .461 J. Hussey SIT .446 G. Johnson ERC .423 A. Joly BET .421 J. Peterson AGP .416 Slugging PCT D. Squires PEN .672 J. Peterson AGP .613 E. Alcock FAI .574 J. Hussey SIT .567 J. Abston NPN .563 On-Base + Slugging D. Squires PEN 1.076 J. Peterson AGP 1.028 J. Hussey SIT 1.013 K. Talley BET .961 J. Abston NPN .936 VORP J. Hussey SIT 63.2 D. Squires PEN 47.9 K. Morrisey KOD 45.8 J. Abston NPN 43.7 J. Peterson AGP 43.5 Runs Created J. Hussey SIT 99.7 A. Joly BET 90.4 K. Talley BET 89.3 L. Drover MSM 84.6 D. Squires PEN 84.0 Runs Created / 27 outs D. Squires PEN 10.22 J. Hussey SIT 9.89 J. Peterson AGP 9.67 A. Joly BET 8.45 K. Talley BET 8.34 Isolated Power D. Squires PEN .341 M. Samson KOD .280 E. Alcock FAI .278 T. Bourque KOD .278 J. Peterson AGP .276 Games A. Ladner ANC 108 A. Joly BET 106 B. Small FAI 106 T. Bourque KOD 105 D. Langille BET 105 At-Bats W. McRae BET 456 A. Ladner ANC 434 M. Melton WHI 433 P. Botfield ERC 432 L. Drover MSM 428 Runs J. Hussey SIT 94 G. Shears NPN 91 R. Leighton PEN 84 K. Suto JUN 83 D. Robison AGP 81 Hits L. Drover MSM 148 J. Hussey SIT 141 A. Joly BET 141 W. McRae BET 140 J. Abston NPN 139 Total Bases J. Abston NPN 238 J. Hussey SIT 225 L. Drover MSM 224 K. Talley BET 224 K. Suto JUN 213 Singles W. McRae BET 109 M. Beach MSM 108 L. Drover MSM 100 A. Joly BET 99 B. Randell BET 99 Doubles D. Colwell AGP 39 S. Okawa KOD 38 C. Routhier WHI 37 K. MacNeill WHI 35 D. Tomlinson ANC 35 Triples J. Abston NPN 10 W. Dunsmore AGP 10 J. Hussey SIT 10 D. Hayward ERC 9 B. Seguin JUN 9 Home Runs D. Squires PEN 30 M. Samson KOD 28 E. Alcock FAI 25 T. Bourque KOD 22 G. Britton JUN 21 Runs Batted In K. Talley BET 89 K. Suto JUN 88 J. Abston NPN 86 D. Robison AGP 86 D. Squires PEN 86 Stolen Bases W. McRae BET 39 J. Hussey SIT 31 C. Neal FAI 30 N. Sginn PEN 29 P. Livingston PEN 28 Bases-On-Balls T. Okawa JUN 99 F. Ikarashi ERC 69 A. Heard ANC 62 J. Hussey SIT 62 P. Langlois MSM 61 Intentional Walks A. Heard ANC 12 C. Garrett FAI 11 M. Beach MSM 10 P. Botfield ERC 10 P. Elliott PEN 10 Hit-By-Pitch G. Shears NPN 14 G. Matkin JUN 13 E. O'Halloran NPN 11 G. Anderson BET 10 K. Talley BET 10 Strikeouts A. Ladner ANC 83 P. Botfield ERC 78 R. Caron BET 73 G. Robertson MSM 71 S. Bradley MSM 69 Sacrifice Hits B. Kendall ERC 15 S. Russell JUN 15 Y. Hara BET 13 T. Pick AGP 13 E. Pond FAI 13 Sacrifice Flies W. Dunsmore AGP 8 E. Dwyer NPN 8 C. Normore AGP 8 R. Allen SIT 7 C. Neal FAI 7

League Pitching Leaderboards ERA A. Sonier JUN 2.31 R. Yuke WHI 2.54 G. Townend NPN 2.79 J. Cormack FAI 2.89 D. Murdock KOD 3.12 Wins E. Pond FAI 15 S. Russell JUN 15 D. Murdock KOD 13 S. Northeast JUN 13 A. Sonier JUN 13 Losses L. Morris SIT 16 R. Sonier WHI 15 Y. Hara BET 14 J. Mack WHI 14 C. Becker NPN 12 Winning PCT L. Corbitt FAI .917 S. Russell JUN .833 A. Sonier JUN .813 J. House AGP .800 D. Gibbon KOD .769 Saves J. Oram MSM 27 W. Teranishi FAI 26 F. Arrington JUN 25 C. Walters KOD 24 J. Hilton ERC 20 Games Pitched D. Schneider NPN 60 P. Bisaillon PEN 53 M. Watanabe MSM 51 D. Lacey ANC 50 J. Adams ERC 49 Games Started C. Becker NPN 24 W. Blain SIT 24 S. Hill MSM 24 T. Myers BET 24 C. Peña ANC 24 Complete Games B. Kendall ERC 9 J. Dewitt ANC 8 Y. Hara BET 8 L. Morris SIT 8 A. Simmons SIT 8 Shutouts J. Cormack FAI 3 J. House AGP 2 C. Becker NPN 1 L. Corbitt FAI 1 J. Dewitt ANC 1 Innings Pitched C. Becker NPN 184.2 A. Sonier JUN 179.1 S. Northeast JUN 171.0 B. Kendall ERC 167.0 C. Peña ANC 165.1 Hits Allowed Y. Hara BET 195 T. Pick AGP 191 L. Morris SIT 190 J. Mack WHI 189 C. Becker NPN 185 Home Runs Allowed Y. Hara BET 24 S. Northeast JUN 22 L. Mays PEN 20 B. Spencer AGP 20 T. Tremblay MSM 20 Walks Allowed C. Jarrett NPN 73 Y. Hara BET 66 B. Kendall ERC 65 W. Blain SIT 64 J. Henderson MSM 61 Walks per 9 IP S. Northeast JUN 1.3 J. Cormack FAI 1.7 R. Yuke WHI 1.9 D. Murdock KOD 2.0 A. Simmons SIT 2.2 Strikeouts R. Yuke WHI 166 A. Sonier JUN 148 B. Kendall ERC 140 J. Cormack FAI 139 E. Pond FAI 130 Strikeouts per 9 IP R. Yuke WHI 9.8 C. Major NPN 9.3 G. Townend NPN 8.0 J. Cormack FAI 7.7 E. Pond FAI 7.6 K/BB R. Yuke WHI 5.19 J. Cormack FAI 4.48 D. Murdock KOD 3.65 E. Pond FAI 3.42 A. Sonier JUN 3.02 WHIP J. Cormack FAI 0.98 A. Sonier JUN 1.01 R. Yuke WHI 1.12 D. Murdock KOD 1.14 G. Townend NPN 1.19 Hits per 9 IP A. Sonier JUN 6.6 J. Cormack FAI 7.1 B. Kendall ERC 7.3 G. Townend NPN 8.0 S. Henry KOD 8.0 Opponents AVG A. Sonier JUN .199 J. Cormack FAI .206 B. Kendall ERC .216 G. Townend NPN .231 M. Deacon FAI .238 Opponents OBP J. Cormack FAI .248 A. Sonier JUN .265 R. Yuke WHI .282 D. Murdock KOD .287 G. Townend NPN .289 Opponents SLG A. Sonier JUN .317 J. Cormack FAI .318 D. Gibbon KOD .330 G. Townend NPN .334 B. Kendall ERC .337 Opponents OPS J. Cormack FAI .565 A. Sonier JUN .582 G. Townend NPN .623 B. Kendall ERC .632 D. Gibbon KOD .636 BABIP A. Sonier JUN .234 J. Cormack FAI .250 B. Kendall ERC .259 J. Simmons ANC .265 W. Blain SIT .269 VORP A. Sonier JUN 64.8 R. Yuke WHI 55.2 B. Kendall ERC 52.0 J. Cormack FAI 48.4 M. Deacon FAI 42.0

[Elendil]

2016 Award Winners

Pitcher of the Year



In 2016 John Cormack of the Fairbanks Goldpanners took top pitching honors. He fashioned a 10-6 mark and an impressive 2.89 ERA.

In his standout season, the 27-year-old Goldpanners star started 22 times, chalking up 139 strikeouts and 31 walks, limiting hitters to a .206 batting average.

Hitter of the Year



2016 was a special season for Sitka shortstop Jack Hussey, and it was capped off today with the announcement that he was named the winner of the Alaskan League Hitter of the Year Award.

Hussey compiled a .355 batting average and a .446 on-base percentage this year. In 103 games he piled up 141 hits, 31 doubles, 10 triples, 11 home runs, 68 RBI, and 94 runs scored.

Rookie of the Year



The premier rookie performer in the Alaskan League this year was Bethel left fielder Ken Talley. For his strong and steady play AKL GM's have named him the 2016 Rookie of the Year Award winner.

He put up some good numbers, including a .342 batting average and .405 on-base percentage this year, while racking up 20 home runs, 89 RBI, and 72 runs scored.

Reliever of the Year



Floyd Arrington won his second straight Reliever of the Year Award today. The Juneau closer truly put up some ungodly numbers this year.

He was third in the league in saves with 25, pitching 36.1 innings with a 1.49 ERA, 50 strikeouts, nine walks, and one home run allowed.

Comeback Player of the Year



Miners left fielder Leith Drover has won the 2016 Alaskan League Comeback Player of the Year Award. Drover did not even play in the league last year, but the Miners gave him a chance out of training camp, and they must be glad they did.

Drover hit .346 with 31 doubles, 6 triples, and 11 home runs in 428 at-bats for Mat-Su, a performance matching or exceeding his best previous season: 2011 with Kodiak, when he hit .359. His 2012-14 seasons were marred by injuries and lack of playing time. Now Drover has proven to the league that he still "has it"!

Manager of the Year

The Kodiak Grizzlies' manager, Ron Cardinal, was a shoo-in for the 2016 Alaskan League Manager of the Year Award. The Grizzlies turned around years of mediocre play to win their first Seward Division pennant. They did it with a collection of players most fans might never have heard of, until this year. Kodiak increased their record from 46-62 in 2015 to 70-38 in 2016.

Key Offseason Departures

There were two significant retirements this year. Longtime Miners superstar catcher Pierre-Alexandre Langlois finally decided to hang up the cleats. Also, former Nicks standout, lately of Whitehorse, third baseman-shortstop Sloan Starr has retired. See the "offseason" sections for Mat-Su and Whitehorse below for career retrospectives of both players.

The Canadian League inflicted the first free agent casualties of its history on the Alaskan League. One of the top closers in the league - Fairbanks' Walter Teranishi - left Alaska to play for Hamilton on a 2-year deal. He's still just 23 and could return eventually. Likewise, Whitehorse's ace and perennial Pitcher of the Year candidate, Ron Yuke, signed a three-year deal with Regina. At age 36, that will likely mean the end of his illustrious Alaskan League career, during which he posted a 2.73 ERA with 652 strikeouts in exactly 600 innings and a record of 48-36 with 111 saves.

[Elendil]

2017 Preseason Preview

After all the drama of last offseason, this one was pretty placid. It was as if the evident threat that had emerged from the Canadian League of Baseball was bringing the owners together and suppressing further controversy over league financial rules.

Nevertheless, let us be clear: 2017 would be a make-or-break season for several clubs: Bethel, Whitehorse, Mat-Su, and North Pole especially. Kodiak's surprise run had taken them out of the pool of "teams in trouble," but Mat-Su and North Pole were now realizing that their climb back to the top would be arduous and fraught with financial peril. Bethel and Whitehorse were in particular danger, as they did not look to be at all good for some time.

Team Overviews

Offseason Moves

* Re-signed 27-year-old 1B Arnie Heard (career .295/.397/.529) to a 3-year deal, $55K per
* Longtime OF Terry Kuhn, 36, departs for Kodiak on a 1-year deal (career .279/.362/.468 but in slight decline)
* Re-signed 27-year-old SS Doug Tomlinson (career .306/.370/.464) to a 3-year deal, $34.5K per
* Re-signed 31-year-old 2B Chris Webb (career .271/.331/.364) to a 1-year deal, $12.5K
* Re-signed 24-year-old C John Cashmann (career .313/.350/.435) to a 3-year deal, $24.4K per
* Signed 36-year-old RP Cole Walters away from Kodiak (career 3.92 ERA, 111 SV, 42-55) to a 2-year deal with team option for a 3rd, $16.2K per
* Traded 37-year-old RP Duncan Lacey (career 3.80 ERA) to Fairbanks for 28-year-old C Edward Peterson (career .284/.316/.512) (ANALYSIS: An absolute steal for Anchorage. I don't know what Fairbanks is thinking; Lacey had an illustrious career with Juneau from 2007-2015, but is washed up now, while Peterson is a valuable starting catcher in this league. Just a salary dump I guess.)
* Signed 24-year-old 2B Garrett Shears away from North Pole (career .285/.358/.483) to a 3-year deal, $41.8K per
* Signed 28-year-old RP Bryce Brown away from Chugiak (career 3.64 ERA, 12 SV, 18-15) to a 2-year deal, $13K per
* Signed 39-year-old SP Stephen "Spud" Hill away from Mat-Su (career 4.21 ERA, 81-85) to a 1-year deal, $12.1K (ANALYSIS: he's now pretty close to being done, but the former Kodiak ace has had a solid career overall)

2017 Forecast

Their biggest offensive stars should be 1B Heard (see above) and 2B-SS Shears (see above). Their pitching ace is Cisco Pena (career 4.19 ERA, 35-26), and they have a very solid bullpen. They've done a lot to improve the team over the offseason through signings, but the team is still too old and really needs to re-tool. Predicted finish: 5th in the Seward.



Offseason Moves

* Re-signed 28-year-old 2B John Hauk (career .253/.332/.399) to a 1-year deal, $13.3K
* Allowed 30-year-old backup C Tim Rowsell (career .247/.282/.371, fantastic arm) to walk to Kodiak
* Re-signed 25-year-old RF Jerry Peterson (career .314/.381/.539) to a 2-year deal, $50.9K per
* Signed 38-year-old SP Ed Staitie away from Chugiak (career 3.66 ERA, 122 SV, 40-51) to a 2-year deal with a player option for a 3rd, at an average rate of $36K per
* Signed 28-year-old LF Davis Osborn away from Peninsula (career .305/.356/.544, mostly coming from an outstanding 2015 season) to a 3-year deal, $22K per
* Signed 26-year-old C-OF Ken Iptitut away from North Pole (career .282/.331/.440) to a 1-year deal, $16.5 K
* Signed 27-year-old RF Dan Deschamps (no AKL experience, .214/.322/.311 in many A-ball seasons) to a 3-year deal, $25.9K per

2017 Forecast

The Pilots' main offensive threats are 23-year-old C Chris Normore (career .270/.326/.409), 27-year-old 1B Dale Robison (career .287/.371/.484), 30-year-old CF Wynn Dunsmore (career .293/.372/.522), and RF Deschamps (see above). Peterson would count among that number, but in training camp he suffered an injury that will erase his entire season.

The top three in the rotation include former Nick Chip Becker (career 3.77 ERA, 104-73), 25-year-old Bob Spencer (career 4.26 ERA, 42-32), and Staitie (see above). The bullpen is also strong, and great things are expected of 22-year-old closer Donald Wilson.

On paper this team looks great, despite the Peterson injury. However, they have a lot of ground to make up on Kodiak. Prediction: 2nd in the Seward.



Offseason Moves

* Allowed 29-year-old 3B Jon Reed to walk to Juneau
* Allowed 36-year-old 1B Adam Joly to walk to Fairbanks
* Allowed 23-year-old 3B Gordon Anderson to walk to Chugiak
* Allowed 24-year-old SP Tim Myers to walk to Kodiak
* Traded 30-year-old RP Zander Dyck (career 4.70 ERA) to Chugiak for 39-year-old 1B Gary Johnson (yep, he's still around: career .334/.420/.470 and had a good year last year) (ANALYSIS: Dyck is horrible and Johnson potentially useful, but the Mushers eventually demoted Johnson to the Training League, so this trade didn't seem to have much of a point.)

2017 Forecast

They have two big offensive threats in 26-year-old LF Ken Talley (career .339/.390/.533) and 37-year-old RF Dave Langille (career .291/.382/.509 but past his prime just a bit). They also have an up-and-coming rookie 1B named Dave Lappin who could be a great one.

The rotation is just plain awful. Their #1 starter is the horrible Wyatt Horwood (6.35 ERA last year, career 6.14 mark in 419 IP). I don't know how he has a job year in and year out.

Despite the good offense, Bethel has such a terrible pitching staff that they could break some Seward Division records for losses. Prediction: 6th in the Seward.

More teams to come...

[Elendil]

Team Overviews (cont.)

Offseason Moves

* Traded 31-year-old SS Mike Gaston (career .283/.321/.408) to Kodiak for 25-year-old 3B prospect Luther Hemphill (career .279/.362/.369 in the ATL) (ANALYSIS: A salary dump for Chugiak, but I don't really like the move. Hemphill has some offensive potential but is pretty bad in the field, unlike Gaston, who is very solid. Gaston has also been an integral part of Chugiak's identity for a long time.)
* Allowed RP Bryce Brown to walk to the Bucs
* Allowed 38-year-old SP Bryan Kendall to walk to Sitka
* Allowed 38-year-old SP Ed Staitie to walk to the Glacier Pilots
* Signed 25-year-old RP Augustin Beaudoin away from Whitehorse (career 4.39 ERA, 42 SV, 6-17) to a 2-year deal, $10.7K per
* Signed 35-year-old 2B-1B Charley Logan away from Whitehorse (career .299/.404/.447) to a 2-year deal, $35.1K per
* Traded 1B Gary Johnson to Bethel for RP Zander Dyck (see above: not a good trade for either team, I'd say)

2017 Forecast

ERC's offensive standouts are 2B Charley Logan (see above), 28-year-old LF Phil Botfield (career .325/.378/.548), and 35-year-old RF Francis Ikarashi (career .291/.416/.399). On the pitching side, they don't have much anymore, but they do still have an aging Money Mihashi (3.37, 68-42 career, age 41) and Martin Gagnon (3.40, 76-45, age 39).

This is a team that was once great and then dissipated it all. Their decline into oblivion looks set to continue. Prediction: 4th in the Seward.



Offseason Moves

* Allowed 23-year-old SP Dwayne Smith to walk to Sitka (a pretty important loss)
* Allowed 25-year-old RP Ford Currell to walk to Sitka (decent but replaceable)
* Allowed 23-year-old RP Walter Teranishi to leave for the Canadian League's Hamilton (big loss!)
* Re-signed 28-year-old LF Colin Garrett (career .300/.365/.545) to a 2-year contract, $58.4K per (important to bring him back after he voided his player option for 2017)
* Allowed 29-year-old 3B A.J. Brisebois to walk to Bethel (little better than replacement level offensively, but average defensively)
* Traded C Edward Peterson to the Bucs for RP Duncan Lacey (see analysis above; dumb trade)
* Signed 28-year-old CF John Dugles away from Whitehorse (career .284/.345/.419, 128-39 SB-CS) to a 1-year contract, $17.4K
* Signed 36-year-old 1B Adam Joly away from Bethel (career .312/.405/.512 & still going strong) to a 3-year contract, $34.2K per (probably overpaid, as it's not clear how long he'll be able to hit)
* Signed 26-year-old RF Dave Squires away from Peninsula (career .288/.368/.563) to a 3-year deal, $31.7K per (nice acquisition, Squires had been traded to Peninsula by the Panners last year for reliever Doug Miles)
* Claimed 33-year-old SP Leif Morris off waivers from Sitka (career 4.44 ERA, 64-86)

2017 Forecast

Fairbanks still has several offensive stars, among them C Eric Alcock, 26 (career .296/.337/.547, subpar arm), 3B Toby Burns, 31 (career .288/.366/.516), SS Brett Small, 26 (career .300/.363/.509), LF Colin Garrett (see above), and CF Camden Neal, 24 (career .270/.322/.379, 90-28 SB-CS, good defense).

Their rotation isn't quite as good as it was with Smith, but the top four are still great: John Cormack, 27 (career 3.15 ERA, 29-15), Eugene Pond, 29 (career 3.32 ERA, 71-40), Mark Deacon, 27 (career 3.30 ERA, 24-9), and Larry Corbitt, 29 (career 4.41 ERA, 49-40 but peaking now). Without Teranishi and Currell the bullpen is worse, but Jon Funk (career 2.54 ERA, age 23) will become the closer and should do fine.

Prediction: 1st in the Denali, good shot at repeating their AKL title.



Offseason Moves

* Fired their manager Lindsay Maloney, which raised some eyebrows given their great record. Promoted Robin LaPointe from bench manager, and he will get his first experience managing a professional club.
* Re-signed 32-year-old SP Jesse Alexander (career 3.97 ERA, 68-49) to a 1-year deal, $14.2K (tidy sum for a capable #3 or 4 starter)
* Traded 27-year-old 3B Bill Seguin (career .246/.289/.402, 252-66 SB-CS) to Kodiak for 31-year-old SP and former Senator Don Taggart (career 3.46 ERA, 85-64 but seemingly not in his prime any longer) (ANALYSIS: If Taggart can improve at all from his disappointing 2016 performance, this will be a win for the Senators, and the fans are certainly happy to see the longtime Senator back in Juneau.)

2017 Forecast

The Senators' lineup is truly stacked. They have C Greg Britton, 30 (career .275/.315/.481), 1B Aaron Randolph, 26 (career .313/.350/.525), 2B Ralph Collette, 37 (career .286/.367/.496), 3B Nick Bedford, 35 (career .291/.349/.510), SS Gates Matkin, 26 (career .295/.356/.399, 75-26 SB-CS), LF Tommy Okawa, 30 (career .316/.458/.429), and RF Kisei Suto, 28 (career .324/.406/.529).

The rotation is a bit sketchy but will be led by Scott Northeast, 30 (career 3.35 ERA, 94-63) and Don Taggart (see above). The bullpen is outstanding, led by closer Floyd Arrington, 30 (career 2.78 ERA, 73 SV, 18-17).

Juneau lost no one of importance in the offseason and gained some pieces. They could really challenge Fairbanks, which had some offseason turmoil, but I doubt they can unseat them. Prediction: 2nd in the Denali.

[Elendil]

2017 Team Overviews (cont.)

Offseason Moves

* Traded IF Hemphill to Chugiak for SS Gaston (see above), a good move
* Allowed 36-year-old free agent closer Cole Walters to walk, ending up with the Bucs
* Traded SP Taggart to Juneau for 3B Seguin (see above), a questionable move
* Signed 24-year-old SP Tim Myers (career 4.66 ERA, 29-60) away from Bethel for 2 years at $25K per (ANALYSIS: Myers still has a good deal of potential to develop and might end up being a good pitcher)
* Signed 36-year-old OF Terry Kuhn (career .279/.362/.468) away from the Bucs for 1 year at $17.4K per

2017 Forecast

The Grizzlies' strength really lies in pitching and defense. As far as hitters go, their only real stars are catcher Karl Morrisey (career .314/.376/.461, age 26), second baseman Mark Navarro (career .284/.351/.424, age 26), and second-year right fielder Mark Samson (.245/.343/.526 as a rookie).

Their rotation is stacked, led by Steven Henry, age 26 (3.98, 43-43 career), and followed by Sam Lockwood, age 25 (3.68, 12-6 career), Conrad Poor, age 23 (2-1, 2.96 as a rookie last year), and Davis Murdock, age 23 (3.69, 25-9 career). The aforementioned Myers rounds out the top five. The 23-year-old closer, Stuart Boutillier, was outstanding as a setup man last year, posting 43 K's and yielding 20 BB's in 51 IP with a remarkable (though largely meaningless) 10-3 record as a reliever.

Prediction: 1st in the Seward.



Offseason Moves

* Saw 45-year-old catcher Pierre-Alexandre Langlois retire. He posted a .372 OBP in his last year but was clearly in decline. His remarkable career, entirely with the Miners, lasted 10 years, and saw these numbers: 995 hits, 182 doubles, 132 home runs, 551 walks, and a .303/.404/.493 line. He made six All-Star teams, his last at age 43, and won two championships with Mat-Su. One only wonders what his career would have been like had the AKL started in the mid-90s instead of the late 2000's.
* Allowed 39-year-old free agent SP Stephen "Spud" Hill to sign with the Bucs
* Allowed 27-year-old free agent 1B Dale Eteldrum to sign with the Oilers (hit .258/.311/.382 in his one year with Mat-Su, below his usual standard)

2017 Forecast

A shell of their former selves, the Miners nevertheless have a few promising young players. Third baseman Mark Beach, age 24 (career .322/.382/.395) and center fielder Bryce Payne, age 32 (career .287/.340/.413) are their most respected position players.

The rotation will be led by 22-year-old Papuan Kusuma Mainaky (16-6, 4.43 ERA his first two years). Mainaky has considerable potential for this league and might finally break out this year. Otherwise, the pitching staff looks pretty grim.

The team is still rebuilding, but the Denali looks like a wasteland this year beyond Fairbanks and Juneau. Prediction: 3rd in the Denali.



Offseason Moves

* Allowed 35-year-old free agent OF Elvis O'Halloran, an above-average offensive contributor, to sign with Peninsula
* Allowed 24-year-old free agent SP Harry Barrett to sign with Bethel (5.40 ERA in '16, but that masks a pretty good DIPS performance: 51 BB's and 71 K's with 7 HR in 105 IP)
* Allowed 26-year-old free agent C-OF Ken Iptitut to sign with the Glacier Pilots (Iptitut, an Inuit, is no prize for Anchorage but had an unexpectedly good year in '16, hitting .325/.358/.553 with 12 HR in 228 AB - no one expects him to repeat that)
* Allowed 34-year-old free agent SP Geoffrey Townend to sign with the Bucs (Townend got CPOY consideration for his 2.79 ERA and 10-6 record in 116 IP last year)
* Allowed 24-year-old free agent IF Garrett Shears to sign with the Bucs (this one really hurts, Shears was a Nick first round draftee in 2013 and had developed nicely to this point)
* Made a couple of minor trades but otherwise sat tight

2017 Forecast

The Nicks still have 2B John Abston (career .301/.364/.540) after signing a hefty contract extension in July. Another contributor is 3B Bill Randell, age 23 (.295/.341/.359 as a rookie last year).

The rotation is pretty ghastly all around, but good ol' Chance Major, now 33, is still the ace. He has still struck out at least a batter an inning every year of his career. His career ERA is now 3.58, and his record is 72-60.

Prediction: 5th in the Denali.