Bush League

[Elendil]

2017 Team Overviews (cont.)

Offseason Moves

* Allowed 26-year-old free agent SP Russell Carriere to sign with Sitka (see below)
* Allowed 24-year-old free agent CF Nathan Sginn to sign with Sitka (see below)
* Allowed 28-year-old free agent OF Davis Osborn to sign with the Glacier Pilots (see above)
* Allowed 26-year-old free agent OF Dave Squires to sign with Fairbanks (this is a pretty big loss; he hit .331/.404/.672 last year)
* Signed 35-year-old OF Elvis O'Halloran (career .278/.381/.478) away from North Pole to a 1-year contract at $11.7K
* Signed 27-year-old 1B Dale Eteldrum (career .293/.360/.411, 54-22 SB-CS) away from Mat-Su to a 1-year contract worth $10K
* Signed a nearly washed-up Vincent Robinson to an amateur contract (career stats below)

2017 Forecast

Despite their offseason losses, Peninsula has a decent all-around team, but it's not clear that it will be enough to make a serious run at Kodiak and the Glacier Pilots. On offense they have catcher Bob Russo, age 31 (career .270/.346/.439, great defense), second baseman Zander Sabin, age 32 (career .269/.348/.432), left fielder Phil Elliott, age 25 (career .315/.398/.477), and center fielder Phil Livingston, age 27 (career .293/.337/.385).

Their pitching rotation is stocked with grizzled vets. The youngest of the bunch is the #1 starter, Harvey Romanov, age 27 (career 5.14, 34-55 but long touted for his potential). Following him are Ryan Dye, age 32 (career 3.76, 73-55), Louis Mays, age 33 (career 3.49, 96-54), Newt Langille, age 36 (career 4.53, 60-78), and Vincent Robinson, age 33 (career 4.51, 63-55). Closer Braedon MacDonald, 27, had a pretty good year with 28 K's, 11 BB's, and 3 HR's in 38 IP, but it was not reflected in his ERA (4.74).

Despite the veteran leadership, most observers expect them to fall short. Predicted finish: 3rd in the Seward.



Offseason moves

* Allowed 28-year-old free agent SP Warren Turner to sign with North Pole (see above)
* Signed 24-year-old free agent CF Nathan Sginn (career .251/.310/.319, 93-17 SB-CS) away from Peninsula to a 1-year deal at $10.3K
* Signed 32-year-old free agent OF Bill O'Farrell (career .248/.335/.367) away from Kodiak to a 1-year deal at $11.8K
* Signed 23-year-old free agent SP Dwayne Smith (career 4.09 ERA, 26-32) away from Fairbanks to a 3-year deal, $22K per (major coup for the Sentinels!)
* Signed 38-year-old free agent SP Bryan Kendall (career 3.73, 101-89) away from Chugiak to a 3-year deal, $20.6K per (I personally doubt he will be worth it, although he really hasn't shown signs of decline yet)
* Signed 37-year-old free agent CF Jimmy Williams (career .286/.358/.540) away from Mat-Su to a 1-year deal, $11.9K (may have one more comeback left in him?)
* Signed 30-year-old OF John Fox (career .252/.312/.374, 175-42 SB-CS) away from Whitehorse to a 1-year deal, $8.7K
* Allowed Fairbanks to claim 33-year-old SP Leif Morris off waivers (since when does Fairbanks need to claim pitchers off waivers from Sitka?!)
* Signed 26-year-old SP Russell Carriere (career 4.15 ERA, 24-27) away from Peninsula to a 1-year deal, $13.2K (not expected to be great, but maybe an interim solution)

2017 Forecast

Despite all the offseason movement, the Sentinels really didn't improve the team all that much and are still in rebuilding mode. Their lone hitting star is, of course, Hustle, Jack Hussey, still just 25 years old and boasting a career line of .325/.413/.450.

In the rotation they have Smith at #1, followed by Kendall. 22-year-old pitching prospect Shane Kodo is highly touted and will be in the rotation to start the 2017 season as a rookie.

Prediction: 4th in the Denali.



Offseason moves

* Saw third baseman Sloan Starr retire at age 38. Starr put up a .248/.339/.419 career line with 885 hits, 140 doubles, 137 home runs, and 181 stolen bases in ten seasons with Fairbanks, North Pole, the Anchorage Bucs, and Whitehorse. He was a three-time All-Star (2007, 2011, 2013) and was the MVP of the 2008 ACS, which he won with North Pole.
* Allowed 35-year-old free agent 1B-2B Charley Logan to sign with Chugiak (see above)
* Allowed 30-year-old free agent OF John Fox to sign with Sitka (see above)
* Allowed 36-year-old free agent SP Ron Yuke to leave the AKL for the Canadian League's Regina Monarchs (BIG LOSS!)
* Allowed 25-year-old free agent RP Augustin Beaudoin to sign with Chugiak (saved 16 games for Whitehorse last year)
* Allowed 28-year-old free agent OF John Dugles to sign with Fairbanks (see above, pretty big loss)
* Allowed 27-year-old free agent defensive catcher Jerry Searle to sign with Mat-Su
* Traded 32-year-old SP Rick Sonier (career 4.10, 67-88) to Mat-Su for 24-year-old SP Charles-Antoine Smith (career 7-4, 3.36 in the ATL) (ANALYSIS: Classic rebuilding move for Whitehorse. They lose salary and get a half-decent prospect who probably won't amount to much - but might. Sonier had spent his whole career with the King Salmon/Yukoners.)

2017 Forecast

The Yukoners weren't good to begin with, and they have regressed over the offseason due to financial troubles. Fans are beginning to lose interest as the only really recognizable player this year will be the aging (35) John Mack (career 3.61 ERA, 89-104).

However, they do have some prospects. 25-year-old SP Steve Oakes has stunk it up so far in the AKL but is supposed to be good eventually, if he can improve his control. 24-year-old rookie catcher Henry Waugh will get a chance to play, but observers fear that he is still too green (he hit a paltry .191 in the ATL last year).

The team's best hitter is likely to be 29-year-old right fielder Celestin Routhier, who hit .304/.349/.474 in 2016, his first year in the league. On the bright side, the team should make some money this year unless attendance totally collapses.

Predicted finish: 6th in the Denali.

[Elendil]

2017 Opens!

Training Camp Injuries

This year's training camp turned out to be unusually brutal on the players, perhaps because of the often bitterly cold temperatures on the practice fields of Alaska.

The most serious injuries were suffered by Glacier Pilots right fielder Jerry Peterson, who fractured his ankle and would miss the entire year, Chugiak's promising young third baseman Leonard Marshall, who pinched a nerve in his neck and would also miss the entire season, Fairbanks backup catcher Ryan Harvey, who also put himself out of commission for the year, Nicks outfielder Dan Heap, who would miss about two months of the season, and Bucs backup first baseman Don Goodyear, who would miss the first month and a half of the season.

May 5, Opening Day


Shot of Oberg Field when it was a high school ballpark

The 2017 season kicked off at Chugiak's Oberg Field, where the rival Glacier Pilots and Jets clashed. Chip Becker started for Anchorage and Monzaemon Mihashi started for Chugiak. Becker got a complete game victory, throwing 125 pitches over nine innings in an 8-4 victory. Wynn Dunsmore, who hit a three-run homer, was named player of the game.

The Sonier-MacNeill incident

On May 7, one of the most controversial events in the history of the Alaskan League occurred.

In the fifth inning of a Senators-Yukoners matchup in Whitehorse, the Yukoners strung together three hits to take a 5-3 lead. Keith MacNeill had just slid home to score on a Yukio Mori double, when Juneau pitching ace Anthony Sonier took exception to the way MacNeill went in on catcher Greg Britton.

Sonier threw down his glove and charged the plate, shouting at MacNeill, even as Britton alertly scooped up at the ball and threw it to second to hold Mori there. The home plate umpire quickly called time as he noticed Sonier charging. MacNeill, who is black, is shorter but sturdier than Sonier and wrestled him to the ground.

The benches cleared, and a brawl broke out. By the time it was broken up, Sonier was on the ground writhing in pain. He was rushed to the hospital, where it was determined that he had torn a back muscle.

The whole Senators organization clamored loudly for a suspension for MacNeill, but the situation quickly became more complicated when MacNeill told the Whitehorse Star that Sonier had used a racial epithet as he was charging the plate, a charge that Britton denied.

A closed-session league hearing was held with the players involved in the initial scrum and the home plate umpire. The matter of the racial slur was not addressed in the league press conference that followed, but the league did announce a seven-game suspension - of Sonier, not MacNeill. MacNeill had merely been defending himself, the league argued, and his slide into home plate had been legal, if dirty by some players' standards. Of course, Sonier's injury meant that the suspension, which was the longest the league had ever handed down, was meaningless.

The decision divided Alaskan media like never before, with some commentators accusing the league of perpetuating the "Wild West" reputation of the league. Others argued, conversely, that the seven-game suspension of MacNeill was too harsh, a public relations gambit that penalized a player unfairly for what many others had done in the past and received a mere slap on the wrist.

Regardless, the whole episode charged up the Juneau fan base, even as it damaged their team's chances to pass Fairbanks for the pennant this year.

May events

On May 20, John Cormack of Fairbanks had one of the great single-game pitching performances of recent memory. He mowed down Whitehorse hitters in a 3-0 whitewash, striking out 14 batters, walking none, and scattering six hits.

On May 22, Colin Garrett of Fairbanks got the first cycle of the year in an 8-5 victory over Sitka. He ended up a neat 4-for-4, getting the triple on his last at-bat.

June events

On June 4, rookie Serge Labrecque of North Pole became the first player of the season to hit three home runs in a game, going 3-for-4 as the Nicks downed the Grizzlies, 4-1.

On June 7, disaster struck the Bethel Mushers when 23-year-old rookie center fielder Ken Yoshida, who was hitting .331 with 15 stolen bases in 118 at-bats, suffered a career-ending injury when he flubbed a line drive and the ball came up and hit him in the face. He was nearly blinded in his right eye and went in for surgery immediately.

On June 16, Garry Garrett of Fairbanks became the second player this year to blast three homers in a game, doing it against Peninsula in a 15-2 win. He went 4-for-5, adding a double, but all his home runs were solo shots.

On June 21, veteran Bryan Kendall broke out some nasty stuff as he completed his second shutout of the month. The Sentinels hurler chalked up 9 K's and walked none. Sitka beat the Bucs 6-0. Another veteran starter, Tom Pick of the Glacier Pilots, tossed shutouts in back-to-back starts in June, but in less impressive fashion - his defense was really the story. Finally, another oldster, Louis Mays of Peninsula, also dealt two shutouts in the month of June. The influx of good-fielding, speedy, wild-swinging youngsters into the league, exemplified by virtually the whole Yukoners lineup, was apparently responsible for an emerging decline in league-wide offense.

A major trade went down on June 23. In a startling move, the Chugiak Jets got rid of their lone remaining superstar, corner outfielder Phil Botfield, dealing him to Sitka for starting pitching prospect Emilien Rondeau. This looked like a salary dump more than anything else, and even as such it made little sense. Rondeau had been touted at one time, but at age 22 he was still not exactly lighting up the ATL. Botfield, meanwhile, was still 28 years old and hitting .354/.395/.604. True, he would be eligible for free agency, and I suppose the Jets couldn't re-sign him. But what a cheap deal for the Sentinels, who signed a six-year contract extension with Botfield just six days later.

July events

There were several deadline trades, but most of them involved prospects who were not yet on most fans' radar screens. The biggest deadline deal sent 31-year-old second baseman Chris Webb (career .273/.333/.369) from the Bucs to the Sentinels for 26-year-old starting pitcher Russell Carriere (career 4.24 ERA, 25-27). The trade is a bit puzzling from Sitka's perspective; Webb does fill a hole and fields well, but makes more money than Carriere. Does Sitka really think they can start to contend with Fairbanks and Juneau? If so, their front office is more delusional than we all thought.

On July 19, the Juneau Senators got another bad break when superstar right fielder Kisei Suto (hitting .325 with 65 runs in 69 games so far this year) fractured a cheekbone. The injury will keep him out until the end of the season, but there is an outside chance he could be ready for postseason play if Juneau takes the pennant.

Coming up soon... All-Star rosters & game.

[Elendil]

BTW, here's a breakdown of league franchises by all-time winning percentage. I'm frankly surprised that Chugiak is #3 and Kodiak is above .500.

[Elendil]

2017 All-Star Game

Roster Controversy

These were the announced rosters for the 2017 All-Star Game:

Seward Division

1B Arnie Heard (ANC)
C Karl Morrisey (KOD)
CF Aaron Ladner (ANC)
RF Michael Samson (KOD)
LF Ken Talley (BET)
CF Wynn Dunsmore (AGP) - injured
LF Griffin Shea (AGP)
2B Zander Sabin (PEN)
3B Stan Smart (KOD)
3B Ron Leighton (PEN)
RF Sean Heath (ANC) - replaces Dunsmore
SS Ken Swerdlow (PEN)
C Edward Peterson (ANC)
SS Sherman Ferris (AGP)
SP Ryan Dye (PEN)
SP Louis Mays (PEN)
SP Chip Becker (AGP)
SP Steven Henry (KOD)
SP Cisco Pena (ANC)
SP Mark Howatt (ERC)
SP Davis Murdock (KOD)
CL Donald Wilson (AGP) - injured
CL Stuart Boutillier (KOD)
SP Sam Lockwood (KOD)
SP Conrad Poor (KOD) - replaces Wilson

Kodiak: 8
Anchorage G.P.: 5
Anchorage B.: 5
Peninsula: 5
Chugiak: 1
Bethel: 1

Denali Division

3B Tony Burns (FAI)
1B Aaron Randolph (JUN)
LF Phil Botfield (SIT)
CF Olivier Theriault (JUN)
SS Jack Hussey (SIT)
C Greg Britton (JUN)
RF Kisei Suto (JUN) - injured
1B Phil Alder (NPN)
3B Nick Bedford (JUN)
LF Tommy Okawa (JUN)
2B Chris Webb (SIT)
CF Camden Neal (FAI)
RF Leith Drover (MSM) - replaces Suto
C Eric Alcock (FAI)
SP Mark Deacon (FAI)
SP John Cormack (FAI)
SP Merrill Currell (NPN)
SP Dwayne Smith (SIT)
SP Larry Corbitt (FAI)
CL Jon Funk (FAI)
CL Floyd Arrington (JUN)
SP Bryan Kendall (SIT)
SP Chance Major (NPN)
MR Trevor Quinton (SIT)

Juneau: 7
Fairbanks: 6
Sitka: 6
North Pole: 3
Mat-Su: 1
Whitehorse: 0

Like every year since 2008, the selection of All-Star rosters was done by the general managers from each division. However, fans voted throughout the months of June and July, and their votes determined who started.

A controversy broke out when Mat-Su and Whitehorse were initially left off the Denali Division team altogether. The Miners ultimately got Leith Drover in to replace the recently injured Kisei Suto, but for the first time ever, there would be one team totally unrepresented in the All-Star Game.

The league would meet in August and revise the procedure as follows. From now on, every team would have to be represented in the All-Star Game. Furthermore, the rosters would be expanded to 24 to match current league rules, by adding an 11th pitcher. (When team rosters were expanded to 24 a few years ago, the All-Star Game roster remained at 23 as a cost-cutting measure, and out of concern that too many pitchers were not getting a chance to play in the showcase game as it was.)

The Game

Cook Inlet, Anchorage

Over Sitka's objections, the game was again played at Mulcahy Stadium in Anchorage this year. (The league preferred to switch off between this site and Growden in Fairbanks, because their size meant that sellout crowds, as were now typical for the annual showcase, would bring in more revenue. All-Star Game revenues went wholly to the league office.) The Sentinels protested that they had been scheduled to hold the All-Star Game last year, when it had been canceled, and they should certainly get it this year. The league was in no mood to compromise with one of the owners who had made serious trouble for them with all that talk of boycott, and the game in Anchorage went ahead.

The game started as a battle between two lefthanded starters, veteran Ryan Dye for the Seward and youngster Merrill Currell for the Denali.

The Denali All-Stars took a quick 4-0 lead after 2 innings, helped along by an error by Zander Sabin in the 2nd.

The Seward Division came storming back in the 3rd inning. Shea and Morrisey thrilled the Anchorage fans by hitting back-to-back solo home runs off Larry Corbitt.

In the 5th inning, the Seward All-Stars hung three runs on Mark Deacon and Trevor Quinton to tie the game at 5 (the Denali team had scored in the 4th).

In the top of the 7th, Toby Burns tripled off Sam Lockwood to score Aaron Randolph and put the Denali Division up by a run again. The normally solid Boutillier then let the game get a bit out of hand in the 8th, as Hussey walked, Theriault tripled, Randolph singled, and then Burns doubled - Randolph was thrown out coming home, but two runs had already come in.

There the score remained - 8 to 5 - and Bryan Kendall and Jon Funk together nailed down the Denali Division victory with a 1-2-3 bottom of the 9th.

All-Star Game MVP: hometown favorite, Glacier Pilot Griffin Shea for the losing side. He went 2-for-3 with a home run and scored twice, but made an error as well.

Post-ASG Standings

Here are the standings at the All-Star break:

Seward Division

KOD: 42-30, -
AGP: 41-31, 1 GB
ANC: 41-31, 1 GB
PEN: 38-34, 4 GB
BET: 26-46, 16 GB
ERC: 26-48, 17 GB

Denali Division

FAI: 46-26, -
JUN: 43-30, 3.5 GB
NPN: 35-38, 11.5 GB
SIT: 34-38, 12 GB
WHI: 34-39, 12.5 GB
MSM: 29-44, 17.5 GB

It's shaping up to be quite a race in the competitive Seward Division! In the Denali Division, it's another duel between Fairbanks and Juneau: no surprise there. The only thing I am surprised by is how badly Chugiak is doing. How the mighty have fallen. (One could say the same of Mat-Su, but they've been struggling for at least three years now.)

[Hageneezz]

Well, this is still a great dynasty thread, and beautiful pictures also..hope you`ll update soon..

[Elendil]

Originally Posted by Hageneezz

Well, this is still a great dynasty thread, and beautiful pictures also..hope you`ll update soon..

I'll be back! I've had little time over the holidays to work on it, but it will be regularly updated for the foreseeable future.

[thehatfield]

I never commented on the Panners' championship (what a fantastic turnaround) but Game Six 2016 was amazing!! That whole series was a wonderful read.

[Elendil]

2017 Season: Finale

Although the Senators and Glacier Pilots had hung tight with the Panners and Grizzlies, respectively, for most of the season, the favored teams in each division pulled away in the final month of play, coasting easily to repeat pennants and a pending rematch of the 2016 ACS.

League Events

July 26 - Second baseman Johnny Ledlow gets a hefty extension from the Chugiak Jets. He will make more than $50,000 a year for the next three years. Ledlow, 28, has made two All-Star teams and has a career AKL line of .290/.363/.467. He is a subpar fielder, however. Some commentators argue that the threat from the Canadian League, which offers decent salaries to mediocre players, has forced Alaskan League GM's to pony up bigger salaries. One wonders how long this can go on before the whole league finds itself in financial straits.

August 2 - Mark Howatt of Chugiak has one of the most outstanding starts of the year, shutting down the pathetic Yukoners on three hits and a walk, striking out 12. The Jets won 7-0. Howatt has compiled a respectable 7-7 record and 3.78 ERA in 18 starts.

August 4 - Slugging center fielder Aaron Ladner wins a big contract extension from the Bucs. He will make an average of $51,293 per season for the next five years. Ladner is already 32 years old and boasts a career .297/.368/.531 AKL line. He does have a history of injury, however, missing most of the 2012 and 2014 seasons due to serious injuries. He could win Hitter of the Year this year.

August 6 - Bob Spencer mows down the Jets, as his Pilots defeat them 13-0. He allows just one hit and no walks, striking out three. Spencer, a control pitcher who has recently signed a three-year extension with Anchorage, has racked up 9 wins and 3 losses in 13 starts with a 2.94 ERA and just 32 strikeouts in 98 innings.

August 6 - Helping Ladner's chances at the HOY, teammate Arnie Heard tears an abdominal muscle, ending his season. He is hitting .311 with 11 home runs in 302 at-bats, 54 RBI, 66 runs scored, and a .438 OBP.

August 17 - Old-timer Chip Becker shows he has some stuff yet, blanking the Oilers on 1 hit and 2 walks, striking out 6. His Glacier Pilots win, 3-0. Becker actually has a 2.78 ERA this season and a sparkling 14-6 record, raising hopes of a Comeback Player of the Year nomination.

August 17 - The Senators' slim playoff hopes are further damaged when star center fielder Olivier Theriault puts himself out of commission for the duration of the season with a hyperextended elbow. Theriault has a .317 average, 12 home runs, and 72 RBI.

August 23 - Shortstop Gates Matkin signs a huge extension deal by Alaskan standards with the Senators. He will make $277,169 over the next four years. He is hitting .307 with 11 home runs but, more spectacularly (in a bad way), he leads the league in errors with FIFTY. His fielding percentage is a disastrous .910. His fielding percentage has in fact declined each of the last three years. In fact, his glove has been so ghastly that he was overlooked for the All-Star Game despite being one of the best-hitting shortstops in the league.

August 29 - A gruesome injury for Mat-Su Miner Jeremy Henderson. He ruptures a bicep tendon in a game against Juneau and will be out for at least a full calendar year after having surgery. Who knows whether he will be an effective pitcher when he returns? Henderson, 24, has a 4-12 record and 6.62 ERA but has been pegged as a future control pitcher who makes smart decisions on the mound.

September 1 - A waiver trade between divisional foes Whitehorse and North Pole sends 24-year-old SP Bob Killy to the Nicks and 23-year-old 1B Waylon Sutton to the Yukoners. Sutton is a hulking, 250-pound power hitter with little AKL experience, and Killy is a savvy control pitcher with a respectable 3.66 ERA already.

September 2 - The season ends. One record set this year was the team stolen base record, set by the otherwise lowly Whitehorse Yukoners. In a lineup built for speed and slap hitting, the Yukoners racked up 143 stolen bases, shattering the 2009 Nicks' record. They were caught 50 times. However, they were also worst in the league in team OBP (.299) and second-worst in team slugging percentage (.372). They hit only 76 home runs, but despite all that scored 512 runs, good for 8th in the league. Perhaps there is something to the running game after all.

Nathan Sginn of Sitka, meanwhile, set the individual stolen base record, with 59 (corresponding to 89 in a 162-game season). Sginn, who sported an OBP of just .301, seemed to run whenever he got on, but he was caught only 12 times. Sginn made most of his starts at center field but also filled in at third and short, the last being his native position.

Tommy Okawa also broke his own record for walks in a season, garnering a whopping 112 (corresponding to 168 in a 162-game season). Okawa's OBP was .469, which is actually not his highest ever (.482 two years ago).

Scott Northeast, who is still pitching for Juneau and is only 30 years old, set the league record for innings pitched with 196 (corresponding to 294 in a 162-game season).

Final Standings

Seward Division

KOD: 67-41
AGP: 61-47, 6 GB
ANC: 57-51, 10 GB
PEN: 52-56, 15 GB
ERC: 42-66, 25 GB
BET: 40-68, 27 GB

Denali Division


FAI: 72-36
JUN: 64-44, 8 GB
WHI: 52-56, 20 GB
NPN: 51-57, 21 GB
SIT: 50-58, 22 GB
MSM: 40-68, 32 GB


The league will flip a coin to determine whether Mat-Su or Bethel gets the #1 draft pick next year. Whitehorse screwed themselves out of a higher pick by going on a little run at the end of the season, vaulting themselves into a third-place finish in the feast-or-famine Denali!

Coming next: 2017 ACS Preview.

[Elendil]

2017 Alaskan Championship Series Preview

For the first time ever, the Alaskan Championship Series will feature the same opponents for a second consecutive year. Last year, the Goldpanners won their first Alaskan championship in dramatic fashion, downing the Grizzlies in a 20-inning sixth game to clinch the title. You can bet that the Grizzlies and their fans are relishing the chance at a little revenge. The goat of the game six loss, former Panner Conrad Poor, is in the Kodiak rotation for this series and probably relishes this chance at redemption more than anyone else.

Team Stats

Kodiak Grizzlies

Team Batting Stats
Pos	Player	Age	G	GS	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	VORP
P	Bill Ausenhus	22	35	2	8	0	2	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	.250	.250	.500	.750	0.7
CF	Gregg Bolduc	25	87	85	310	38	83	16	7	8	52	4	2	18	34	.268	.307	.442	.749	13.6
1B	*Tanner Bourque	35	6	3	14	3	3	0	0	2	7	0	0	4	1	.214	.389	.643	1.032	1.2
P	Stuart Boutillier	22	43	0	4	1	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	.250	.250	.250	.500	0.1
P	*Ben Bow	25	9	0	3	1	2	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	.667	.667	1.000	1.667	0.7
LF	Kelyn Brisson	22	61	5	73	14	25	7	2	1	16	0	0	5	9	.342	.388	.534	.922	7.9
CF	Mike Collette	33	90	48	209	40	53	17	3	9	32	0	0	22	32	.254	.328	.493	.820	8.9
1B	Mike Gaston	31	72	10	70	11	24	5	0	1	10	4	1	1	7	.343	.342	.457	.800	4.8
P	*Steven Henry	26	24	24	49	4	9	3	0	0	7	0	0	1	10	.184	.192	.245	.437	1.2
P	#Bob Killy	24	14	0	6	1	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	.333	.333	.500	.833	0.5
LF	*Terry Kuhn	36	41	2	41	8	8	2	1	1	8	0	0	5	12	.195	.277	.366	.642	-2.5
P	*Vincent Lafrenière	25	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000	0.0
P	Sam Lockwood	25	23	23	53	3	6	2	0	0	1	0	0	0	12	.113	.113	.151	.264	-0.4
P	*Fred McBean	25	11	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000	.000	.000	.000	-0.1
1B	#Al Meehan	22	98	81	345	48	97	31	10	6	59	5	14	28	51	.281	.338	.481	.819	12.2
P	Joe Mews	23	37	6	12	2	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	.250	.250	.333	.583	0.7
C	Karl Morrisey	26	89	89	370	67	124	22	1	11	60	0	1	38	52	.335	.397	.489	.886	42.6
P	Davis Murdock	23	18	18	43	4	6	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	10	.140	.140	.163	.302	-0.0
P	Tim Myers	24	16	16	30	0	5	1	0	0	3	0	0	0	4	.167	.161	.200	.361	0.3
2B	Mark Navarro	26	98	98	386	50	104	26	2	6	51	0	0	43	56	.269	.341	.394	.735	12.6
LF	*Stanley Okawa	26	101	91	394	69	118	18	6	12	51	7	3	47	42	.299	.373	.467	.840	24.7
LF	*Mark Oxford	22	22	9	52	6	12	2	0	1	8	0	0	2	8	.231	.259	.327	.586	-2.8
P	*Conrad Poor	23	19	19	44	7	8	3	0	1	4	0	1	0	6	.182	.182	.318	.500	1.0
RF	*Dave Reeve	34	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000	0.0
2B	*Jeff Rowland	24	3	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000	-0.3
C	Tim Rowsell	30	94	42	187	14	38	10	1	1	26	0	0	13	24	.203	.252	.283	.536	-14.4
RF	Michael Samson	24	88	88	345	79	99	24	4	23	72	3	0	62	30	.287	.393	.580	.973	40.4
P	David Schneider	25	29	0	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	.000	.000	.000	.000	-0.2
3B	Bill Seguin	28	97	68	285	48	71	17	3	6	21	30	10	22	39	.249	.313	.393	.706	10.4
P	Todd Simmons	28	39	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000	0.0
SS	Stan Smart	27	101	99	364	71	109	23	5	14	73	1	0	42	60	.299	.377	.505	.882	38.7
SS	Scott Wilkinson	32	92	46	182	29	46	16	6	2	10	5	1	19	23	.253	.325	.440	.765	9.9
P	*Connor Withers	24	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000	0.0
	Team Totals	26.3	1563	972	3886	618	1058	249	52	105	574	59	33	372	532	.272	.336	.444	.781	212.5
* - bats left-handed, # - switch hits, blank - bats right-handed

Team Pitching Stats
Player	Age	W	L	Pct	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	VORP
Bill Ausenhus	22	4	3	0.571	35	2	2	57.0	52	22	4	23	50	3.47	10.3
Stuart Boutillier	22	2	6	0.250	43	0	25	47.0	43	16	4	17	59	3.06	10.6
Ben Bow	25	0	2	0.000	9	0	0	9.0	9	5	1	4	13	5.00	0.2
Steven Henry	26	10	6	0.625	24	24	0	156.1	115	53	15	46	151	3.05	35.4
Bob Killy	24	4	0	1.000	14	0	1	27.0	21	8	1	4	17	2.67	7.1
Vincent Lafrenière	25	0	0	0.000	2	0	0	2.2	2	1	0	2	1	3.38	0.5
Sam Lockwood	25	9	6	0.600	23	23	0	159.0	154	61	10	31	82	3.45	28.7
Fred McBean	25	1	0	1.000	11	0	0	14.0	15	8	4	11	9	5.14	-0.2
Joe Mews	23	8	4	0.667	37	6	1	69.0	72	26	6	22	35	3.39	13.0
Davis Murdock	23	6	3	0.667	18	18	0	120.0	117	50	9	33	94	3.75	17.7
Tim Myers	24	7	2	0.778	16	16	0	98.2	116	47	12	25	47	4.29	8.4
Conrad Poor	23	10	6	0.625	19	19	0	140.2	127	66	9	55	107	4.22	12.8
David Schneider	25	2	1	0.667	29	0	1	42.0	37	16	3	15	32	3.43	7.8
Todd Simmons	28	4	2	0.667	39	0	1	41.2	57	21	9	15	35	4.54	2.2
Connor Withers	24	0	0	0.000	3	0	0	3.2	0	0	0	0	3	0.00	2.2
Team Totals	24.3	67	41	0.620	322	108	31	987.2	937	400	87	303	735	3.64	156.7
* - throws left-handed, blank - throws right-handed

Fairbanks Goldpanners

Team Batting Stats
Pos	Player	Age	G	GS	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	VORP
C	Eric Alcock	25	92	91	378	61	104	19	2	11	45	0	0	30	27	.275	.329	.423	.753	14.6
RF	*Matthew Bartholomew	24	89	86	270	36	82	15	1	9	46	1	1	33	42	.304	.376	.467	.842	13.1
SS	Aaron Boudreau	33	34	16	56	4	12	1	0	0	4	1	0	5	11	.214	.286	.232	.518	-3.1
3B	Toby Burns	30	103	103	381	69	118	16	6	20	69	10	2	42	57	.310	.377	.541	.918	41.5
P	Leo Caulfield	24	30	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000	.000	.000	.000	-0.0
P	Larry Corbitt	29	21	21	54	2	6	0	0	0	4	0	0	0	10	.111	.111	.111	.222	-0.7
P	John Cormack	27	24	24	62	1	4	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	15	.065	.065	.065	.129	-1.9
P	Mark Deacon	27	23	23	58	3	9	2	0	0	1	0	0	0	16	.155	.153	.190	.342	0.4
RF	John Dugles	28	82	22	118	16	31	3	3	4	27	0	0	9	14	.263	.313	.441	.753	0.0
P	Jon Funk	23	34	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000	-0.1
2B	*Anthony Garant	24	61	45	184	31	48	12	3	3	17	13	2	21	16	.261	.340	.408	.747	6.3
LF	*Colin Garrett	28	101	101	399	72	111	21	8	17	75	11	3	40	60	.278	.342	.499	.841	16.0
2B	Garry Garrett	22	56	55	233	35	76	7	1	7	28	0	0	15	22	.326	.368	.455	.823	13.9
P	Dave Imus	23	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000	0.0
1B	Adam Joly	36	105	105	394	68	106	21	0	13	56	5	1	63	58	.269	.377	.421	.798	13.7
1B	Dave King	24	54	2	49	8	20	4	1	2	14	0	0	5	5	.408	.463	.653	1.116	9.6
P	Duncan Lacey	37	13	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	2	.000	.333	.000	.333	0.1
P	#Silas Lortie	21	3	3	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000	.000	.000	.000	-0.4
P	Doug Miles	34	19	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000	.000	.000	.000	-0.1
P	Brad Morris	35	32	0	4	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.250	.250	.250	.500	0.2
P	Leif Morris	33	16	16	47	7	10	1	0	0	6	0	0	0	8	.213	.208	.234	.442	1.2
CF	#Camden Neal	24	101	101	415	78	113	19	7	7	52	41	6	48	50	.272	.347	.402	.749	22.8
P	Eugene Pond	29	21	21	44	4	9	3	0	1	5	0	0	1	11	.205	.213	.341	.554	2.0
LF	Miles Pyke	24	61	15	82	7	19	2	1	0	13	0	0	11	14	.232	.319	.280	.600	-5.1
RF	Doug Riley	31	24	0	25	4	6	2	0	1	4	0	0	3	4	.240	.345	.440	.785	0.0
SS	Brett Small	26	104	104	409	62	123	32	1	11	60	11	6	41	52	.301	.363	.465	.827	26.9
LF	Dave Squires	26	17	1	17	2	2	0	0	1	3	0	0	1	2	.118	.167	.294	.461	-2.2
C	George Taylor	26	57	17	77	10	21	6	0	0	11	0	0	1	13	.273	.278	.351	.629	-0.3
CF	*Gary Yohemas	27	3	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1.000	1.000	1.000	2.000	0.0
	Team Totals	27.6	1381	972	3767	580	1032	186	34	107	543	93	21	370	513	.274	.339	.427	.766	168.5
* - bats left-handed, # - switch hits, blank - bats right-handed

Team Pitching Stats
Player	Age	W	L	Pct	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	VORP
Leo Caulfield	24	3	3	0.500	30	0	0	36.2	32	20	5	15	44	4.91	1.5
Larry Corbitt	29	11	7	0.611	21	21	0	159.1	150	54	11	49	98	3.05	39.4
John Cormack	27	13	3	0.813	24	24	0	182.0	147	45	7	33	171	2.23	61.6
Mark Deacon	27	13	8	0.619	23	23	0	181.2	179	66	15	57	118	3.27	40.1
Jon Funk	23	4	3	0.571	34	0	23	36.0	37	9	1	12	26	2.25	12.0
Dave Imus	23	0	0	0.000	1	0	0	2.0	2	0	0	0	1	0.00	1.2
Duncan Lacey	37	0	0	0.000	13	0	1	25.1	12	5	2	4	17	1.78	10.0
Silas Lortie	21	0	1	0.000	3	3	0	21.2	28	11	0	8	10	4.57	1.5
Doug Miles	34	1	1	0.500	19	0	0	24.1	19	7	1	3	19	2.59	7.3
Brad Morris	35	7	2	0.778	32	0	4	48.1	45	11	2	15	33	2.05	17.3
Leif Morris	33	9	4	0.692	16	16	0	121.0	126	49	8	49	62	3.64	22.0
Eugene Pond	29	11	4	0.733	21	21	0	133.1	126	60	15	37	112	4.05	18.0
Team Totals	28.5	72	36	0.667	237	108	28	971.2	903	337	67	282	711	3.12	231.9
* - throws left-handed, blank - throws right-handed

Clearly, Kodiak is the better hitting team, while Fairbanks is the better pitching/defensive team. In fact, Fairbanks has one of the best starting rotations in league history (3.21 ERA), and their bullpen is even better (2.71 ERA). Kodiak, meanwhile, counts on three main offensive weapons: Michael Samson, Stan Smart, and Karl Morrisey, but the rest of their lineup is also pretty potent.

Lineups

Kodiak Grizzlies

vs RHP:

1. S. Okawa, LF - .299/.373/.467
2. M. Navarro, 2B - .269/.341/.394
3. K. Morrisey, C - .335/.397/.489
4. M. Samson, RF - .287/.393/.580
5. A. Meehan, 1B - .281/.338/.481
6. S. Smart, 3B - .299/.377/.505
7. G. Bolduc, CF - .268/.307/.442
8. S. Wilkinson, SS - .253/.325/.440

vs LHP:

1. S. Wilkinson, SS
2. M. Navarro, 2B
3. K. Morrisey, C
4. M. Samson, RF
5. A. Meehan, 1B
6. S. Okawa, LF
7. M. Collette, CF
8. S. Smart, 3B

Fairbanks Goldpanners

vs RHP:

1. C. Neal, CF - .272/.347/.402, 41-6 SB-CS
2. G. Garrett, 2B - .326/.368/.455
3. E. Alcock, C - .275/.329/.423
4. C. Garrett, LF - .278/.342/.499
5. M. Bartholomew, RF - .304/.376/.467
6. A. Joly, 1B - .269/.377/.421
7. T. Burns, 3B - .310/.377/.541
8. B. Small, SS - .301/.363/.465

vs LHP:

1. C. Neal, CF
2. G. Garrett, 2B
3. A. Joly, 1B
4. E. Alcock, C
5. C. Garrett, LF
6. T. Burns, 3B
7. B. Small, SS
8. M. Bartholomew, RF

Rotations

Kodiak Grizzlies

1. S. Henry - 3.05 ERA
2. S. Lockwood - 3.45 ERA
3. C. Poor - 4.22 ERA
CL. S. Boutillier - 3.06 ERA, 25 SV, 11.3 K/9

Fairbanks Goldpanners

1. J. Cormack - 2.23 ERA
2. E. Pond - 4.05 ERA
3. M. Deacon - 3.27 ERA
CL. J. Funk - 2.25 ERA, 23 SV, 6.5 K/9

Injuries

RP Ben Bow (Kodiak), back spasms

Managers

Kodiak: Ron Cardinal, 478-350 all-time AKL record (2007-2017), 3 playoff appearances, 2 championships

Fairbanks: Bob Adamson, 485-571 all-time AKL record (2007-2017), 1 playoff appearance, 1 championship

Analysis

The two teams met eight times this year, and the Grizzlies owned the season series, winning six and losing two. However, Fairbanks was five games ahead in the standings, and the Panners' pitching advantage over the Grizzlies is greater than the Grizzlies' hitting advantage over the Panners. Additionally, the Denali Division was actually a bit tougher than the Seward this year.

Statistically, then, Fairbanks should take it, especially with home field advantage, but one has to wonder whether they want it as much as the Grizzlies do this year. I think the Grizzlies come out strong. If they take the first couple of games, they'll have the confidence to win the series.

Prediction: Grizzlies in 6.

[Elendil]

Game One


Downtown Fairbanks

September 4, 2017 - Over 3,100 fans were on hand for the opening of the 2017 Alaskan Championship Series. It was a Monday evening, chilly but not cold, with little wind.

Steven Henry and John Cormack both pitched well. Through four innings, Cormack had struck out five and allowed no walks, while Henry had struck out four and allowed no walks. The score was tied 1-1. Kodiak had taken the lead in the 1st inning off an RBI single by Michael Samson, and Toby Burns tied it in the 4th with an RBI double.

In the top of the 5th, the Grizzlies ran themselves out of a run for the first time in the game. Gregg Bolduc led off the inning with a hit-by-pitch, then got caught stealing second. After Wilkinson struck out, the pitcher Henry slapped a double down the right field line. Bolduc would have scored from first fairly easily on that ball. But Okawa then struck out, and the score remained 1-1.

The Grizzlies then ran themselves out of a run again in the top of the 8th. Cormack was still pitching for Fairbanks. Wilkinson got a groundball single to lead off the inning; then pinch-hitter Mark Oxford reached on an error by Cormack, putting runners on first and second. A flyball from Stan Okawa made the first out but put runners on the corners.

Then something inexplicable happened. Mark Navarro took a called strike, and Oxford took off running from first. Now, this is a guy who had never stolen a base in his Alaskan League career. In fact, he had never even attempted a steal before. Taking second base in that situation was only useful to avoid the double play, but getting caught was potentially disastrous, making the second out with a runner on third. Of course, that's exactly what happened: he was gunned down easily. After the game, Cardinal brushed it off with a comment to the effect that the signs must have been crossed up. Regardless of who was at fault, it was a crucial error, as Navarro then flied out to end the inning.

The Goldpanners then threatened in the bottom of the 8th, with Todd Simmons on the mound for Kodiak. It started when fresh third baseman Mike Gaston made an error, allowing Garry Garrett to reach with one out. Adam Joly then got hit on the elbow to put two runners on. Eric Alcock then followed with a groundball single into the hole in left, but Garrett had to hold up at third when Wilkinson came up with it but had no throw.

With the bases loaded and one out, Colin Garrett ripped a hard grounder to the first baseman Meehan, who alertly tagged Alcock and then took it to the bag himself to complete an unassisted double play. Still 1-1.

In the bottom of the ninth, the Goldpanners threatened again. With one out, Simmons yielded a single to Brett Small and a walk to Miles Pyke. He then struck out pinch-hitter John Dugles. Camden Neal worked a six-pitch walk, and the bases were again loaded, this time with two outs.

Cardinal came to the mound and took the ball from Simmons, bringing in closer Boutillier in a double switch that brought Kelyn Brisson in as the new left fielder. Boutillier got the job done, striking out Aaron Boudreau to end the threat.

So we went to extra innings - what else would you expect between these two teams? The Goldpanners brought in their closer Jon Funk for the 10th and 11th innings.

The Grizzlies got a rally going with two outs in the 11th. Navarro took a walk, then new catcher Tim Rowsell got an infield single. Mike Collette then hit a grounder that got past the second baseman, and Navarro came motoring around to score. Meehan then flied out to deep center, but the damage was done. 2-1.

Boutillier got the first two outs of the bottom half, then Davis Murdock, normally a starter, struck out Dave Squires to end the game. Had the Grizzlies lost, their critical baserunning mistakes would have come back to haunt them, but ultimately they got the job done, taking a one-game lead in the series. Final score: Kodiak 2, Fairbanks 1.

[bucketsndimes]

I love this dynasty, unfortunately, I haven't read it in awhile, I need to catch up.

Question, how do you format your stats like that?

[Elendil]

Originally Posted by bucketsndimes

I love this dynasty, unfortunately, I haven't read it in awhile, I need to catch up.

Question, how do you format your stats like that?

Thanks, glad you're enjoying it...

To get the stats like that, I copy and paste the html from the relevant league reports, then clean it up a bit. I like it better than the "code" function, because "code" always uses Courier New and a small box, so you have to scroll to see most of the stats.

[Elendil]

Game Two

September 5, 2017 - At game time, it was a reasonable 42 degrees, and a gentle breeze blew steadily out to center. Sam Lockwood (9-6, 3.45) would be going for Kodiak against Eugene Pond (11-4, 4.05) for Fairbanks. Talent-wise, these were two of the best pitchers in the league, but they had not had great years by their standards.

The game quickly turned into a wild affair. Leadoff hitter Stan Okawa set the tone with a solo home run. Two singles, a triple, and a passed ball gave Kodiak a 4-0 lead before Pond got Wilkinson to ground out.

The Goldpanners gave it right back in the bottom half. Neal hit a leadoff double, Garry Garrett singled, and Alcock hit a fielder's choice that held Neal at first. After the last pitch to Alcock, Lockwood beckoned to the trainer. His hand had gone numb, we learned later, and he had to come out. He would be placed on the disabled list, meaning that Kodiak had lost him for the entire series - a potentially massive blow to their championship hopes.

Bill Ausenhus came in for Kodiak, and he was totally ineffective. He allowed four consecutive batters and six out of seven to reach base before he was finally pulled with two outs in the first and the score now 6-4 Fairbanks. Davis Murdock came in and got Garry Garrett to pop out, ending the inning. The Panners had easily batted around, the biggest blow coming when Adam Joly had hit a bases-clearing double.

The Grizzlies, though, came right back against Pond. Okawa doubled with one out, then Navarro hit a two-run homer. 6-6.

There the score remained until the top of the fourth. Stan Okawa singled to lead off the inning, making him 3-for-3 with every hit in the cycle except the triple. He advanced to second on a throwing error. After Navarro struck out, Morrisey singled, allowing Okawa to score. Still Pond stayed in, having given up seven runs now. He got Samson and Meehan to end the inning, but Kodiak had now retaken the lead.

Tim Myers then came in to pitch for Kodiak, relieving Murdock, who had been very effective, and got out of the bottom of the 4th without any damage.

In the top of the 5th, Leo Caulfield relieved Pond for Fairbanks and set down the Grizzlies 1-2-3. Myers returned the favor in the bottom half. The sixth inning went the same way: no baserunners for either team.

In the top of the 7th, Caulfield saw his streak of seven consecutive outs come to an end when he struck out Samson. The ball got away from the catcher, and Samson managed to reach first. No damage was done, though, as Caulfield picked him off on the very next pitch!

Myers ran into a bit more trouble in the bottom of the 7th. Camden Neal led off the inning with a triple, making him 4-for-4: he had every hit in the cycle except the home run now. Then Myers threw a wild pitch on a 0-2 count to G. Garrett to allow Neal to score, tying the game. He then struck out Garrett, got Alcock to fly out, and struck out Colin Garrett to end the inning. 7-7.

In the top of the 8th, Caulfield gave up his first hit, a leadoff single to Stan Smart, and he was immediately lifted for Brad Morris. Morris got pinch-hitter Mark Oxford on strikes, then pinch-hitter Kelyn Brisson bunted Smart over to second successfully. Two outs. The Grizzlies then brought yet another pinch-hitter to the plate, this one in the pitcher's spot: weak-hitting infielder Bill Seguin. On an 0-2, Seguin just reached out and dribbled a slider into the hole in left. By the time a fielder caught up to it, Smart was on his way to scoring easily. Stanley Okawa struck out, frustrating his shot at the cycle, but Kodiak now led 8-7.

In the bottom of the 8th, Todd Simmons relieved Myers, and Mike Gaston, who had made two errors in the last game, came in at short in the double-switch.

The very first batter, Matthew Bartholomew, hit a hard grounder right at Gaston. Gaston picked, transferred, and threw - right into the dugout. Score it another error, and Fairbanks had a man on second.

Joly then came up to bat. A power hitter, he surprised everybody by bunting on a 1-1 count. He easily made it to first, and Bartholomew to third. Burns then bunted Joly over to second in a curious decision. It paid off, though, when Brett Small singled to left, allowing both Bartholomew and Joly to score. Fairbanks now led 9-8.

It stayed that way until the ninth, when Jon Funk came in to close the game down for the Panners. Navarro singled to lead off the inning. Then Morrisey walked. It began to look as if Kodiak would take the lead back or at least tie, perhaps sending yet another game between these two teams to extra innings.

It was not to be. Samson popped out to short center, and Meehan and Smart struck out to end the threat. It was a nice come-from-behind victory for Fairbanks in yet another strange game between these two clubs. Final score: Fairbanks 9, Kodiak 8. Series tied at a game apiece.

The Grizzlies would be happy to get to Kodiak with a split, though - all except for Mike Gaston, who could expect pillory from the hometown fans.

[Elendil]

Game Three


Kodiak Island

September 7, 2017 - Over 1,100 fans, a sellout, showed up to Kodiak Island Park in the cold drizzle to see their team try to take a 2 games to 1 lead in the Alaskan Championship Series. Kodiak starter Conrad Poor, trying to win redemption for the game 6 loss last year, would be going up against Fairbanks' Mark Deacon.

The Grizzlies got on the board first, when Gregg Bolduc drove a two-out triple to dead center, plating Meehan, in the 2nd. In the 3rd Kodiak got another run on a Navarro RBI double.

Poor, meanwhile, was coasting. He yielded only 1 hit through the first six innings and at one point had retired 11 straight batters. Deacon also pitched well, and the two teams traded zeroes up until the ninth inning, with both starting pitchers still in the game.

In the top of the 9th, Poor immediately set down G. Garrett and Joly. Alcock then doubled to give the Panners life, but C. Garrett flied out to end the game, a complete-game shutout for Conrad Poor. Redemption had arrived! Final score: Kodiak 2, Fairbanks 0.

Game Four

September 8, 2007 - The Game 1 starters were facing off again: Cormack for Fairbanks, Henry for Kodiak. Cormack had dominated in game 1, but the Goldpanners' offense had sputtered, and the Grizzlies had eventually won in extra innings.

The temperature was unseasonably mild, 52 degrees at game time.

The Grizzlies again struck first, again in the bottom of the 2nd. Bolduc followed up a Meehan double with a two-run home run to the power alley in left.

Fairbanks got baserunners off Henry in several innings, but couldn't cash in until the 6th. In that inning, G. Garrett and Joly led off with back-to-back singles. With one out, a C. Garrett single drove in G. Garrett, but Joly had to stop at second. Henry retired the last two hitters to end the threat and preserve the lead. Cormack, meanwhile, was cruising, keeping the game within reach.

In the 8th inning, the Goldpanners finally tied it up on a first-pitch leadoff homer by Joly, off new pitcher Tim Myers. The score remained knotted at 2 until the game went into extra innings. At this point both teams put in their closers: Boutillier for Kodiak, Funk for Fairbanks.

Fairbanks posed a major threat in the 11th, putting runners on 2nd and 3rd, but Neal struck out to end that threat.

The next big threat came from Kodiak in the bottom of the 12th, with Brad Morris pitching. Okawa led off with a single, and Navarro followed up with a single of his own, putting runners on the corners with nobody out. Weak-hitting replacement catcher Tim Rowsell came up and got the ball aloft into right field. Okawa tagged up and made it home easily, sparking an enthusiastic-but-not-too-enthusiastic team celebration at the plate.

Final score: Kodiak 3, Fairbanks 2, 12 innings. In a series in which no game had been decided by more than 2 runs, the Grizzlies were now up three games to one, and looked likely to exact revenge for last year's defeat.

[Elendil]

Game Five

September 9, 2017 - A Saturday evening Game Five with the breeze blowing out to center, and the Goldpanners backed against a wall. Fairbanks looked to take advantage of Davis Murdock, the Grizzlies #4 starter, who had to step in due to the injury to Lockwood. Eugene Pond, meanwhile, sought to atone for his shaky Game 2 start.

Fairbanks got one in the first when Murdock walked in a run, but he then seemed to settle down. Pond also pitched reasonably, scattering a bunch of baserunners but allowing none of them to score through the first four innings.

In the top of the 4th, Fairbanks got a little insurance on a Toby Burns solo home run.

In the bottom of the 5th, Kodiak got the fans going when Samson stroked a two-run double to tie the game. Pond got out of the inning without further damage, however.

By the 7th inning, both teams were into their bullpens. Fairbanks finally broke the tie when Alcock homered off Schneider, and then loaded the bases again, bringing in Myers, who gave up a run-scoring fielder's choice. 4-2 Panners.

Brad Morris stayed in to get the save in the bottom of the 9th, giving Funk a rest. After getting two outs, though, he ran into trouble, yielding a single to Navarro and a walk to Morrisey. Fairbanks then made a double switch, bringing in mopup reliever Duncan Lacey. Kodiak failed to take advantage, though, as Samson flied out on a line drive to left. Final score: Fairbanks 4, Kodiak 2. This series would be going back to the interior.

Game Six

September 11, 2017 - After a day of rest, the series resumed on Monday. Over three thousand fans came out to watch Deacon go up against Poor. The Goldpanners needed to figure out Poor if they wanted to stay alive.

Brett Small gave the home team the lead in the second inning with an RBI single, and Poor was looking shaky. He ran into trouble again in the 3rd, yielding a two-run homer to Alcock, his second consecutive game with a home run.

Deacon was cruising. The Grizzlies couldn't put together a sequence of hits, and that three-run lead started to look insurmountable.

In the 5th inning, they finally managed to load the bases with one out, but the pitcher's spot came up. Poor went up to hit and struck out. Okawa then flied out to end the threat.

Fairbanks added a couple more insurance runs in the 6th, and the Grizzlies couldn't buy a run. They finally got one in the 8th but let a double-triple sequence go for just one run. Deacon pitched a complete game, and all of a sudden Fairbanks had all the momentum going to a seventh game! Final score: Fairbanks 5, Kodiak 1.

Game Seven

September 12, 2017 - It was the first game seven in six years, and Fairbanks won, it would be the second time in league history that a team came back from down 3-1 to win an ACS, the last time occurring ten years ago when Mat-Su downed Sitka in the inaugural series, and it would be the first time in league history that a team successfully defended a championship.

Fittingly, the two aces took the mound for this deciding game: the crafty lefty Steven Henry for Kodiak, John Cormack for Fairbanks.

The first threat of the game came in the bottom of the 2nd as the Goldpanners batted against Henry. Burns led off the inning with a double. Small then hit a sharp single to the center fielder, who was able to hold Burns at third. With runners on the corners and nobody out, Henry needed a strikeout of Bartholomew to get to the pitcher. He got it. Then Cormack came to the plate and bunted Small over. Two outs. Neal then struck out to end the inning.

In the bottom of the 3rd, the Panners finally touched up Henry, though. Burns got a two-out, two-run single to get Fairbanks on the board first. He was immediately picked off then, but given the way this series had gone, a two-run lead was huge.

The Grizzlies came fighting back, though. The next half-inning, they worked a run from a leadoff double by Morrisey to make it 2-1. The Goldpanners immediately responded in the bottom half when Bartholomew hit an RBI double. 3-1.

Undaunted, at the next chance for Kodiak, Okawa slammed a triple off the wall in deep center field to score Bolduc, who had reached on error. 3-2.

Both Cormack and Henry then settled down, and the score remained stuck at 3-2. In the 8th inning, the Grizzlies were starting to become desperate, and they finally got their chance. With two outs, Morrisey reached on a bloop popup single that dropped behind the second baseman. Samson then hit a liner off the end of his bat that got past the first baseman. The second baseman picked it up, but Morrisey was on his way to third. He beat the throw, putting runners on the corners. Meehan came to the plate, and hit a deep fly, playable, to left field, and it was caught.

Jon Funk came in in the top of the 9th to nail down the championship. He dominated Smart and pinch-hitter Brisson, striking them both out. The crowd rose to its feet, booing as Mike Collette took two two-strike balls. But when he hit a dribbler to third, and the throw came in to the first baseman, the bleachers erupted in rejoicing, as the Fairbanks Goldpanners had won their second consecutive Alaskan championship.

For the Grizzlies, it was utter defeat. They had found new ways to lose to the Goldpanners in the postseason, after having dominated them in the regular season. Were they "cursed," as a few of their fans half-seriously alleged, or would they just have to wait their turn, perhaps against a different opponent?

Final score: Fairbanks 3, Kodiak 2. Fairbanks wins the series, 4-3.

The 2017 ACS MVP was John Cormack of Fairbanks. He had only one win to show for his three starts, but he had been consistently stellar, pitching twenty-four and a third innings (over eight per start), yielding just one home run and two walks compared to nineteen strikeouts. His series ERA was a minuscule 1.48.

[thehatfield]

Woo hoo! Another great series... I'm starting to feel pangs of sympathy for the Grizzlies but as a long-suffering Panners fan I'm just going to savor this one and start feeling bad for Kodiak next year.

[Jestor]

I'm only through page 7 (Great read btw) but I wanted to point out that you remarked that Mat-Su was the only team besides Juneau to win 2 ACS titles after they won their second one, which is incorrect. North Pole won twice before Mat-Su did.

and yes, I'm a Nicks fan

[Elendil]

Originally Posted by Jestor

I'm only through page 7 (Great read btw) but I wanted to point out that you remarked that Mat-Su was the only team besides Juneau to win 2 ACS titles after they won their second one, which is incorrect. North Pole won twice before Mat-Su did.

and yes, I'm a Nicks fan

Hah, good catch! They did it right after Juneau and right before Mat-Su. I reread these once in a while and sometimes catch (and correct) errors, but I certainly missed that one.

Purple Cowboy: Yeah, I have to admit I was rooting a bit for Kodiak as the underdog small-market club. But at the same time, it's good for the league to have some perennial failures (*cough* Chugiak *cough*) & other "good stories," just so long as they stay financially afloat!

[Elendil]

2017: Year in Review

Hitter of the Year


OF Phil Botfield: .341 batting average, .393 OBP, 37 doubles, 3 triples, 29 home runs, 94 RBI, and 91 runs scored. Believe it or not, it's his first Hitter of the Year Award.

Pitcher of the Year


John Cormack: 13-3 W-L, 2.23 ERA, 182 IP, 171 SO, 33 BB, 7 HRA. It is his second (consecutive) Pitcher of the Year Award.

Rookie of the Year


OF Dan Deschamps of the Glacier Pilots: .281 average, 22 doubles, 5 triples, 11 home runs, 65 RBI, 65 runs scored. Age 28. Traded to Kodiak for CF Mike Collette shortly before the award was announced after the end of the season.

Reliever of the Year


Donald Wilson: 3-2, 17 saves, 1.25 ERA, 36 innings pitched, 35 strikeouts, 15.8 VORP. Breaks Floyd Arrington's record-tying three consecutive awards.

Comeback Player of the Year


Chip Becker: Age 37, much improved with a new team after several injury-shortened and mediocre seasons. 3.19 ERA, 14 wins, 101 strikeouts, 195 innings pitched.

Manager of the Year

Bob Adamson of Fairbanks wins his second award, as the Goldpanners managed to improve slightly to their best record ever despite a more competitive division. His career won-lost record is now 485-571. He has by far the longest tenure with a single team of any manager in league history.

League Stats and Leaders

League Standings Seward Division Team W L WPct GB R RA Kodiak Grizzlies 67 41 .620 - 618 481 Anchorage (AGP) Glacier Pilots 61 47 .565 6.0 626 524 Anchorage (ANC) Bucs 57 51 .528 10.0 616 602 Peninsula Oilers 52 56 .481 15.0 595 610 Chugiak Jets 42 66 .389 25.0 483 558 Bethel Mushers 40 68 .370 27.0 506 659 Denali Division Team W L WPct GB R RA Fairbanks Goldpanners 72 36 .667 - 580 429 Juneau Senators 64 44 .593 8.0 671 542 Whitehorse Yukoners 52 56 .481 20.0 512 537 North Pole Nicks 51 57 .472 21.0 505 552 Sitka Sentinels 50 58 .463 22.0 514 533 Mat-Su Miners 40 68 .370 32.0 472 671

Post-Season Results Alaskan Championship Series Fairbanks over Kodiak, 4-3

League Batting Stats Team R/G R G AB H 2B 3B HR BB SO SB AVG OBP SLG OPS Juneau Senators 6.2 671 108 3843 1097 185 29 129 440 557 43 .285 .364 .449 .814 Anchorage (AGP) Glacier Pilots 5.8 626 108 3791 1045 227 44 84 386 507 101 .276 .345 .425 .771 Kodiak Grizzlies 5.7 618 108 3886 1058 249 52 105 372 532 59 .272 .336 .444 .781 Anchorage (ANC) Bucs 5.7 616 108 3815 1044 200 37 100 415 591 47 .274 .349 .424 .773 Peninsula Oilers 5.5 595 108 3815 1011 204 45 99 380 552 52 .265 .335 .420 .755 Fairbanks Goldpanners 5.4 580 108 3767 1032 186 34 107 370 513 93 .274 .339 .427 .766 Sitka Sentinels 4.8 514 108 3695 968 155 31 77 346 494 121 .262 .326 .383 .709 Whitehorse Yukoners 4.7 512 108 3841 961 179 31 76 242 566 143 .250 .299 .372 .672 Bethel Mushers 4.7 506 108 3821 1030 157 28 88 293 585 97 .270 .326 .394 .721 North Pole Nicks 4.7 505 108 3773 945 176 22 108 314 555 66 .250 .311 .395 .706 Chugiak Jets 4.5 483 108 3733 979 197 23 74 362 550 40 .262 .329 .387 .716 Mat-Su Miners 4.4 472 108 3773 949 154 30 79 270 618 65 .252 .308 .371 .679 Totals 5.2 6698 1296 45553 12119 2269 406 1126 4190 6620 927 .266 .331 .408 .739 Average   558 108 3796 1010 189 34 94 349 552 77

League Pitching Stats Team R/G R G CG SHO SV ERA IP HA HRA BB K WHIP OAVG BABIP Fairbanks Goldpanners 4.0 429 108 27 10 28 3.12 971.2 903 67 282 711 1.22 .241 .282 Kodiak Grizzlies 4.5 481 108 8 5 31 3.64 987.2 937 87 303 735 1.26 .245 .283 Anchorage (AGP) Glacier Pilots 4.9 524 108 26 5 23 3.93 961.0 973 93 269 498 1.29 .260 .279 Sitka Sentinels 4.9 533 108 26 6 18 4.01 954.2 980 89 327 580 1.37 .261 .288 Whitehorse Yukoners 5.0 537 108 9 2 26 4.03 974.2 1000 98 360 493 1.40 .265 .284 Juneau Senators 5.0 542 108 18 1 25 3.94 969.2 979 98 303 532 1.32 .258 .278 North Pole Nicks 5.1 552 108 10 7 26 4.28 962.0 964 111 364 564 1.38 .258 .279 Chugiak Jets 5.2 558 108 6 6 18 4.35 961.2 1025 95 344 489 1.42 .270 .289 Anchorage (ANC) Bucs 5.6 602 108 15 3 21 4.83 968.1 1091 83 355 471 1.49 .283 .306 Peninsula Oilers 5.6 610 108 4 3 23 4.84 971.0 1106 102 356 508 1.51 .284 .306 Bethel Mushers 6.1 659 108 6 4 20 5.10 969.2 1095 83 459 529 1.60 .285 .313 Mat-Su Miners 6.2 671 108 8 5 19 5.38 955.1 1066 120 468 510 1.61 .280 .298 Totals 5.2 6698 1296 163 57 278 4.28 11607.1 12119 1126 4190 6620 1.41 .266 .291 Average   558 108 14 5 23   967 1010 94 349 552

League Miscellaneous Stats Team ExpW ExpL Diff AS aAS BAW PAW RAW FAW Attendance Payroll Balance Fairbanks Goldpanners 69 39 3 7 30 2 2 1 1 97,435 $673,765 $132,202 Kodiak Grizzlies 66 42 1 9 30 0 0 0 8 65,068 $567,392 $107,474 Anchorage (AGP) Glacier Pilots 63 45 -2 5 44 1 0 1 11 87,660 $890,610 $230,051 Sitka Sentinels 52 56 -2 6 32 2 0 0 2 39,405 $403,325 $71,595 Whitehorse Yukoners 52 56 0 0 11 0 0 1 9 51,723 $223,594 $305,214 Juneau Senators 64 44 0 7 65 1 1 2 4 73,421 $880,165 $62,339 North Pole Nicks 50 58 1 3 31 1 3 0 4 48,940 $385,139 $157,352 Chugiak Jets 47 61 -5 2 34 1 1 0 8 53,233 $604,164 $-11,191 Anchorage (ANC) Bucs 55 53 2 6 54 1 0 0 9 72,272 $723,337 $195,854 Peninsula Oilers 53 55 -1 5 41 0 1 1 10 62,330 $657,031 $59,436 Bethel Mushers 41 67 -1 1 15 0 0 2 5 33,439 $266,682 $100,457 Mat-Su Miners 37 71 3 0 21 0 0 0 0 37,546 $495,070 $-6,790

League Award Winners Hitter of the Year Award Phil Botfield ERC .341/.393/.649, 29 HR, 94 RBI, 54.0 VORP   Pitcher of the Year Award John Cormack FAI 13-3, 2.23 ERA, 182.0 IP, 171 K, 61.6 VORP   Rookie of the Year Award Dan Deschamps AGP .281/.403/.481, 11 HR, 65 RBI, 23.3 VORP   Glove Wizard Award Pitcher Harry Barrett BET .957 PCT., 7 PO, 38 A, 3.20 RANGE   Catcher Karl Morrisey KOD .988 PCT., 617 PO, 49 A, 37.0 CS %   First Base Charley Logan ERC .994 PCT., 757 PO, 47 A, 11.12 RANGE   Second Base Yukio Mori WHI .978 PCT., 222 PO, 308 A, 6.12 RANGE   Third Base Carl Whitehead WHI .944 PCT., 51 PO, 255 A, 3.43 RANGE   Shortstop Sherman Ferris AGP .980 PCT., 108 PO, 228 A, 5.27 RANGE   Left Field Shane Briggs ANC .983 PCT., 167 PO, 6 A, 2.14 RANGE   Center Field Eddie Power WHI .995 PCT., 204 PO, 6 A, 3.02 RANGE   Right Field Sean Heath ANC .971 PCT., 227 PO, 6 A, 2.31 RANGE

League All-Stars Conrad Poor Davis Murdock Mark Howatt Ken Talley Tommy Okawa Toby Burns Bryan Kendall Zander Sabin Ken Swerdlow Phil Botfield Sean Heath Nick Bedford Aaron Ladner Chip Becker Sherman Ferris Trevor Quinton Louis Mays Kisei Suto Wynn Dunsmore Mike Collette Chance Major Chris Webb Steven Henry Ryan Dye Ron Leighton Larry Corbitt Dwayne Smith Eric Alcock Donald Wilson Merrill Currell

League Batting Leaderboards Batting AVG K. Talley BET .361 P. Botfield ERC .341 K. Morrisey KOD .335 M. Beach MSM .326 G. Shea AGP .326 On-Base PCT T. Okawa JUN .469 A. Heard ANC .438 J. Hussey SIT .430 Z. Sabin PEN .430 F. Ikarashi ERC .427 Slugging PCT P. Botfield ERC .649 A. Randolph JUN .599 K. Talley BET .594 M. Samson KOD .580 A. Ladner ANC .570 On-Base + Slugging P. Botfield ERC 1.042 K. Talley BET .989 M. Samson KOD .973 A. Randolph JUN .962 Z. Sabin PEN .957 VORP P. Botfield ERC 54.0 A. Ladner ANC 50.8 K. Talley BET 49.1 A. Randolph JUN 46.8 J. Hussey SIT 43.0 Runs Created P. Botfield ERC 105.8 K. Talley BET 98.6 Z. Sabin PEN 91.8 A. Randolph JUN 90.7 A. Ladner ANC 90.0 Runs Created / 27 outs P. Botfield ERC 9.72 K. Talley BET 9.25 Z. Sabin PEN 8.88 A. Heard ANC 8.62 A. Ladner ANC 8.38 Isolated Power P. Botfield ERC .308 M. Samson KOD .293 S. Jayne NPN .286 A. Randolph JUN .277 A. Ladner ANC .253 Games D. Lappin BET 106 A. Joly FAI 105 D. Langille BET 105 K. Madden SIT 104 A. Randolph JUN 104 At-Bats A. Randolph JUN 444 G. Matkin JUN 440 W. McRae BET 433 G. Shea AGP 430 N. Bedford JUN 429 Runs P. Botfield ERC 91 A. Randolph JUN 90 N. Bedford JUN 87 D. Robison AGP 87 G. Shea AGP 87 Hits K. Talley BET 150 P. Botfield ERC 144 A. Randolph JUN 143 G. Shea AGP 140 G. Matkin JUN 133 Total Bases P. Botfield ERC 274 A. Randolph JUN 266 K. Talley BET 247 A. Ladner ANC 232 G. Shea AGP 223 Singles K. Talley BET 109 B. Randell NPN 101 W. McRae BET 97 N. Bedford JUN 96 M. Beach MSM 95 Doubles P. Botfield ERC 37 C. Logan ERC 35 G. Shea AGP 34 D. Hayward ERC 32 B. Small FAI 32 Triples J. Hussey SIT 11 C. Webb ANC 11 L. Drover MSM 10 A. Meehan KOD 10 Z. Sabin PEN 10 Home Runs A. Randolph JUN 32 P. Botfield ERC 29 K. Talley BET 27 A. Ladner ANC 24 N. Bedford JUN 23 Runs Batted In A. Randolph JUN 110 A. Ladner ANC 98 K. Talley BET 95 P. Botfield ERC 94 W. Dunsmore AGP 80 Stolen Bases N. Sginn SIT 59 W. McRae BET 46 C. Neal FAI 41 B. Seguin KOD 30 J. Abston NPN 29 Bases-On-Balls T. Okawa JUN 112 Z. Sabin PEN 81 F. Ikarashi ERC 72 S. Heath ANC 70 A. Heard ANC 68 Intentional Walks P. Botfield ERC 11 J. Hussey SIT 11 K. MacNeill WHI 11 J. Ledlow ERC 10 C. Neal FAI 10 Hit-By-Pitch A. Fisher MSM 14 G. Matkin JUN 13 D. Deschamps AGP 12 K. MacNeill WHI 11 D. Robison AGP 11 Strikeouts S. Bradley MSM 74 N. Bedford JUN 71 K. Talley BET 67 A. Randolph JUN 66 C. Normore AGP 65 Sacrifice Hits S. Lockwood KOD 14 T. Burns FAI 13 R. Carriere SIT 13 M. Deacon FAI 13 S. Kodo SIT 13 Sacrifice Flies P. Elliott PEN 11 K. Talley BET 11 B. Small FAI 9 W. Dunsmore AGP 8 K. Swerdlow PEN 8

League Pitching Leaderboards ERA J. Cormack FAI 2.23 D. Smith SIT 2.67 M. Gagnon ERC 2.93 B. Spencer AGP 2.99 L. Corbitt FAI 3.05 Wins S. Northeast JUN 16 C. Becker AGP 14 J. Cormack FAI 13 M. Deacon FAI 13 B. Spencer AGP 12 Losses B. Kendall SIT 14 J. Henderson MSM 12 S. Kodo SIT 12 K. Mainaky MSM 12 H. Barrett BET 11 Winning PCT J. Cormack FAI .813 B. Spencer AGP .800 S. Northeast JUN .762 L. Mays PEN .733 E. Pond FAI .733 Saves S. Boutillier KOD 25 J. Funk FAI 23 H. Gale WHI 18 B. MacDonald PEN 18 F. Arrington JUN 17 Games Pitched C. Baldwin BET 55 M. Watanabe MSM 52 P. Bisaillon PEN 51 J. Ledrew MSM 50 G. Bayless NPN 47 Games Started K. Mainaky MSM 25 C. Major NPN 25 S. Northeast JUN 25 C. Becker AGP 24 J. Cormack FAI 24 Complete Games C. Becker AGP 11 M. Deacon FAI 10 J. Dewitt ANC 10 B. Kendall SIT 10 D. Smith SIT 10 Shutouts L. Corbitt FAI 2 J. Cormack FAI 2 M. Currell NPN 2 B. Kendall SIT 2 L. Mays PEN 2 Innings Pitched S. Northeast JUN 196.0 C. Becker AGP 194.2 J. Cormack FAI 182.0 M. Deacon FAI 181.2 M. Howatt ERC 165.1 Hits Allowed J. Dewitt ANC 190 S. Northeast JUN 190 M. Deacon FAI 179 K. Mainaky MSM 177 M. Mihashi ERC 176 Home Runs Allowed S. Northeast JUN 22 D. Gibbon ERC 21 R. Sonier MSM 21 E. Staitie AGP 20 J. Alexander JUN 18 Walks Allowed T. Benoit BET 67 W. Horwood BET 63 J. Crudge MSM 61 L. Mays PEN 61 H. Barrett BET 59 Walks per 9 IP S. Northeast JUN 1.2 B. Spencer AGP 1.3 J. Cormack FAI 1.6 S. Lockwood KOD 1.8 D. Smith SIT 1.8 Strikeouts J. Cormack FAI 171 S. Henry KOD 151 C. Major NPN 151 B. Kendall SIT 139 M. Howatt ERC 128 Strikeouts per 9 IP C. Major NPN 9.4 S. Henry KOD 8.7 J. Cormack FAI 8.5 B. Kendall SIT 7.6 E. Pond FAI 7.6 K/BB J. Cormack FAI 5.18 D. Smith SIT 3.74 C. Major NPN 3.51 S. Henry KOD 3.28 E. Pond FAI 3.03 WHIP J. Cormack FAI 0.99 S. Henry KOD 1.03 B. Spencer AGP 1.05 C. Major NPN 1.09 S. Northeast JUN 1.11 Hits per 9 IP S. Henry KOD 6.6 C. Major NPN 7.2 J. Cormack FAI 7.3 E. Staitie AGP 7.5 M. Currell NPN 7.9 Opponents AVG S. Henry KOD .201 C. Major NPN .215 J. Cormack FAI .215 E. Staitie AGP .226 M. Currell NPN .232 Opponents OBP J. Cormack FAI .254 S. Henry KOD .260 B. Spencer AGP .271 S. Northeast JUN .277 D. Smith SIT .281 Opponents SLG J. Cormack FAI .291 S. Henry KOD .332 M. Howatt ERC .332 B. Dand NPN .333 C. Poor KOD .343 Opponents OPS J. Cormack FAI .545 S. Henry KOD .592 C. Major NPN .628 D. Smith SIT .629 B. Spencer AGP .642 BABIP B. Spencer AGP .242 E. Staitie AGP .245 S. Henry KOD .246 S. Northeast JUN .252 C. Becker AGP .252 VORP J. Cormack FAI 61.6 D. Smith SIT 44.3 S. Northeast JUN 42.7 M. Howatt ERC 42.6 M. Deacon FAI 40.1

[Elendil]

2017-18 Offseason

CLB Hits Rough Going

The Canadian League of Baseball was overall a success in its first two years of play. However, two teams did extremely poorly at the gate in 2017, and the league decided to contract them: the Hamilton Predators, who had gone 68-52, and the Saskatoon Yellow Jackets, who had won the Western Division in 2016. The Victoria Royals changed their name officially to the B.C. Royals in an attempt to expand their market. It wasn't helping that the Montreal Nationales had blown away the competition the first two years of the league.

Walter Teranishi, the former Fairbanks closer, was one of the Hamilton players cut loose by the team's collapse, but he quickly signed a contract with the Kitchener North Stars for an eye-popping $184,000 per year over the next two years. He had put up a 4.47 ERA in 50 IP with 21 BB and 32 K's in 2017 - hardly a stellar performance.

Ron Yuke, now 37, was picked up on waivers by Edmonton. He had done even worse last year, putting up a 6.11 ERA in 88 IP with 48 BB and 60 K's. Yuke and Teranishi, who had both dominated Alaskan hitting, were not exactly stellar ambassadors for their former league, at least when it came to on-field performance (Yuke was actually a very popular player in western Canada).

B.J. Brown

A quick status update on B.J. Brown, the only Alaskan-born player currently in Major League Baseball (he never had any affiliation with the Alaskan League, having been drafted out of high school by the Royals). Brown had put up solid numbers for the Rangers, going 6-6 with 18 saves and a 3.91 ERA in 76 innings pitched. He had walked 31 and struck out 69.

Alaskan League: Offseason Transactions

As usual, I'll go team by team detailing gains and losses. On the league front, this was a quiet offseason, for the league had finally gained some financial traction. Only two teams had posted losses in 2017 (Chugiak and Mat-Su), and the Glacier Pilots, Yukoners, and Bucs posted huge gains. (In the Yukoners' case, it was a matter of getting back to financial stability.) With revenue sharing, most teams were able to pay off their debts. The predicted calamity caused by the emergence of the CLB had not materialized - yet.

Moreover, the small-market teams had quieted their protests, for now assuaged by generous revenue-sharing despite their lack of contender status (apart from Kodiak). Only Sitka's ownership remained recalcitrant at Board meetings, but they too kept up a public face of optimism.



Major Gains

* RF Dave Squires, age 27 (career .289/.370/.556 with fantastic 2016 season, making $32,000 per year over the next two years): acquired from Fairbanks for reliever Bryce Brown, age 29 (career 3.91 ERA), and a minor prospect. Squires got no playing time with Fairbanks, and they didn't need him, but he still has great offensive upside, and it seems that they should have gotten more for him. Fairbanks' front office doesn't do a great job this offseason, as we'll see.

Major Losses

None (except Brown). However, Cisco Pena was badly injured during training camp, and will miss the first half of the season at least. He is one of the elite pitchers in the game, and the Bucs will surely miss him.

2018 Forecast

The Bucs have one interesting rookie coming up this year, starting pitcher Mark Tucker (age 24). They've added Squires and lost a solid middle reliever in Brown but are otherwise the same team as last year. They have a solid lineup in catcher Peterson, first baseman Heard, second baseman Shears, left fielder Heath, and center fielder Ladner, but their rotation - without Pena - looks terrible.

Prediction: 5th in the Seward.



Major Gains

* Acquired 2013 All-Star and Glove Wizard in center field, Anthony Garant, age 25 (career .263/.313/.376), from Chugiak for SP Jeremy House, age 27 (career 4.00 ERA), and decent outfield prospect Rowan MacIndoe, age 23. Perhaps a slight advantage to Chugiak in this trade.

* Acquired 34-year-old outfielder Mike Collette (career .272/.359/.463, still going strong, $50K per year salary) from Kodiak for 2017 Rookie of the Year outfielder Dan Deschamps, age 27 (will make $26K each of the next two years). Looks like a good deal for Kodiak, as Deschamps has Collette's production but a smaller salary and perhaps less injury risk as a younger player. However, Deschamps is still somewhat unproven and had not had a great career as a minor leaguer before signing with Kodiak last May.

Major Losses

* Deschamps and House, above

* SP Ed Staitie retired. Final career stats: 44 wins, 57 losses, 122 saves, 3.61 ERA, 762 IP, 90 HR, 268 BB, 666 SO. A five-time All-Star, he won the ACS with North Pole in 2012. He retired while still a good pitcher: he posted a 3.80 ERA with 105 strikeouts in 147 innings with the Pilots in 2017.

* SP Arnold Perkins, age 21, signed to a minor league deal. For some reason Fairbanks dumped him despite a 2.75 ERA with 7 HRA, 27 BB, and 49 K's in 85 IP in the Training League in 2017. He's projected as a future #2-3 starter.

2018 Forecast

They have a very good lineup, with catcher Normore, first baseman Robison, third baseman York, shortstop Ferris, left fielder Shea, center fielder Dunsmore, and right fielder Collette all above average at their positions. The rotation is dominated by CPOY Chip Becker and young junkballer Bob Spencer. They also have Reliever of the Year Don Wilson as closer. They will contend with Kodiak, but the Grizzlies, as we'll see, have so many great young players coming up.

Prediction: 2nd in the Seward Division.

More teams to come...