Bush League

[Elendil]

Juneau made a fair bit of money in 2014 but still let some good players get to free agency: 3B Bill Seguin (career .249/.287/.396, 197-46 SB-CS), 2B Terry Shannon (see above under Fairbanks), and SP Anthony Sonier (career 3.10 ERA). However, Seguin and Sonier ultimately signed contracts with the Senators, getting pretty advantageous contracts in each case. Only Shannon was lost - to Fairbanks, as mentioned above.

The Senators then went out and grabbed free agent 3B Nick Bedford (career .287/.347/.500 hitter), a loss for Sitka. Bedford is now 33, but he signed a reasonable 3-year deal in hopes of finally being on a winning team (he was a longtime Buc before the Sitka move).

The next free agent they got was outfielder Jim Hanlon. Hanlon is 26 with a career line of .308/.363/.455 in three years with Sitka. He won't be a star but is solid at the plate.

As already mentioned, the Senators pulled off a blockbuster trade with the Glacier Pilots, sending off star SP Don Taggart for OF Keith MacNeill. It's a move that definitely gives Juneau additional financial flexibility.

Finally, Juneau got a backup 2B-3B in Steve Davis, formerly of Mat-Su (career line: .297/.361/.480). He's not a good fielder but will make a fair bit of money ($24,709 per year for 2 years) to hit when called upon. He's 37 years old.

On the first day of the season, Juneau made another signing, bringing in Lower 48 catcher Norm Corson. Corson has never hit at any level, but due to positive scouting reports had made it all the way up to AAA in the Padres' organization before being released. He's now 28 years old & still looking to get a shot at the big time. He will make $22,133 on a 1-year deal.

Grade: A. The Senators weakened their starting rotation but otherwise improved without breaking the bank. There's no reason why they can't dominate the Denali Division once again.



Like Bethel, Sitka, and Whitehorse, Kodiak faces extreme financial constraints, and like the latter two teams, they've never been able to put it all together for a pennant season.

The Grizzlies had to let star catcher Bob Russo go, along with promising young pitcher Steven Henry (career 4.15 ERA, age 24). However, they got Henry back at a substantial cost, paying him $54,000 per year on a two-year contract. Additionally, 1B Tanner Bourque (career .286/.385/.528) voided his player contract, but the team signed him to a hefty three-year extension ($118,000 altogether) before he filed for free agency.

As already mentioned, the Grizzlies made an astute trade with the Jets, getting Harry Harkness for aging reliever John Adams.

Otherwise, it was a quiet offseason for the club - just a few waiver claims to shore up the back end of the bullpen.

Grade: B-. They didn't hurt themselves too much, but they didn't help themselves much either. The Bourque and Henry contracts are pretty expensive for this franchise, and they should probably consider trading either or both of these players if they can't contend in 2015.



2014 was disastrous for the Miners. The club lost almost $400,000, wiping out all the profits from the previous four years.

The team didn't have many free agents up for renewal, which might have been a curse in disguise, because they needed to cut their bloated payroll. Steve Davis, already mentioned, left for Juneau, and washed-up first baseman Don Goodyear departed for AGP.

The Miners couldn't sign anybody, and the only trade they made hardly improved the financial situation. They dealt Newt Langille to AGP for 3B-SS Scott Bradley, improving them talent-wise but bringing on $20,000 in additional salary.

Grade: D. They will probably make money in 2015, but not enough to wipe out their debts. They look set to go into medium-term decline.



North Pole lost money for the second consecutive year and found themselves deeply in debt. This once proud franchise was now brought to the brink of absolute penury.

After firing the GM, the Nicks allowed several key free agents to escape: IF Leonard Marshall, signed by Chugiak; SP Larry Corbitt (disastrous year last year, but has some potential), signed by Fairbanks; and SP Eugene Pond, also signed by Fairbanks.

They did make one good trade, absolutely taking the Glacier Pilots for a ride by dealing SP Jack Skinner (career 5.12 ERA) for RF Elvis O'Halloran (career .283/.385/.488). O'Halloran makes a lot more money, though, so this doesn't help the financial situation.

Other than that, they did very little to reduce payroll, making some minor deals for marginal prospects.

Grade: D+. They look set to lose more money this year, so they might actually be in a worse situation than the Miners. Like the Miners, their biggest asset is a still-dedicated fanbase. But will they stick with the team through the years of losing ahead?



Because of their surprising success on the field last year, the Oilers did well financially, posting their second straight profitable season. As a result, they had a little money to spend in the offseason.

The Oilers voided the team option year of Bryan Kendall, allowing him to sign with the Jets. He's a great pitcher, and was set to make far less than what he eventually signed for. A puzzling move.

Other than Kendall, Peninsula really didn't lose any significant free agents.

They made some nice deals with the Jets, already mentioned, dealing Tommy Lambert for John Horswill, signing Johnny Ledlow then trading him with Bryce Brown for Louis Mays and Mike Gaston, and (less understandably) dealing Dale Eteldrum for Doug Miles.

Their biggest FA signings were to be 1B Zander Sabin (career .266/.339/.420, loss for Whitehorse), SP Harvey Romanov (career 5.13 ERA but still 25 & promising, loss for Sitka), and C Bob Russo (career .274/.351/.449, excellent defense, loss for Kodiak).

A questionable trade came in December, the aforementioned deal sending C Edward Peterson to the Goldpanners for SP Dave Gibbon and OF Terry Hauk. The Oilers can make use of both players, but Peterson has good upside.

Dealing the 38-year-old SP Mike Rancourt to the Glacier Pilots for 26-year-old OF Davis Osborn is an example of the forward-looking moves this club should be making. The team was also alert and later claimed SP Newt Langille off waivers from AGP. Langille is a bit worn down but should be solid on the back end of the rotation.

Grade: A. When looking back over their offseason, you find that they improved significantly even though most individual moves didn't seem that important. This team is making the right moves to stay in the upper half of the Seward Division. It's unlikely that they can hang with the Jets & Pilots yet, though.



Wow, I can't believe I called them to take the Denali Division. They disappointed on almost every level. More worryingly, they lost $150,000, the biggest loss ever for them.

As a result, the team lost some big FAs: Nick Bedford, who signed with Juneau; Johnny Ledlow, who ultimately ended up with Chugiak; Harvey Romanov, who signed with Peninsula; and Jim Hanlon, who signed with Juneau.

The Sentinels didn't sign anybody in the offseason (no money), and they made only two insignificant trades. They didn't even make any waiver claims.

Grade: F. This passive approach signals stagnation and deterioration. And it won't even save them much money - they will probably be in the red again this year.



The Yukoners also lost money in 2014, their first losses since the move from Ketchikan.

Free agents lost included 1B-2B Zander Sabin, who signed with Peninsula (Whitehorse had foolishly used him at first, when he is quite a good second baseman) and OF Dirk Cluett, who signed with Chugiak, as well as a host of bit players.

Like Sitka, Whitehorse did very little during the offseason, signing nobody and making two inconsequential trades and no waiver claims.

Grade: F. See Sitka. Unfortunately, I'm beginning to wonder about the long-term viability of the tiny-market franchises (Kodiak, Bethel, Whitehorse, Sitka).

[Elendil]

2015 Preview

I'm going to keep these short and sweet, since I've given fairly detailed team info in the offseason analysis.



Hitting stars: 3B Luke York (career .278/.344/.442), SS Sherman Ferris (.264/.350/.364 career), LF Sean Heath (.295/.389/.525 career), CF Wynn Dunsmore (career .297/.377/.523), RF Jerry Peterson (.262/.300/.408 in 130 AB last year, 23 years old).

Rotation stars: Don Taggart (career 3.17 ERA), Bob Spencer (career 3.91 ERA, 23 years old), Mike Rancourt (career 3.83 ERA, 38 years old), Ernie Geldart (career 3.88 ERA). Closer: Floyd Arrington (career 28 SV, 2.92 ERA).

Predicted finish: 1st in the Seward



No offensive standouts. Rotation stars: Jeff Simmons (career 4.33 ERA), Jack Hatt (career 3.42 ERA). Back end of the rotation: Tom Pick, Herb Prat, Jeremy House. Closer: Vincent Wood (career 102 SV, 3.74 ERA).

Predicted finish: 4th in the Seward.



Hitting star: 1B Adam Joly (.317/.409/.523 career). Decent defense at skill positions. Weak rotation, but expectations for 22-year-old Tim Myers (career 5.05 ERA) and 24-year-old Shane Russell (career 4.03 ERA).

Predicted finish: 6th in the Seward.



Hitting stars: C Dave Lepine (career .252/.295/.400), 1B-2B Dale Eteldrum (.285/.351/.384 career), SS Brett Small (.300/.367/.537 career, 24 years old), LF Phil Botfield (.321/.377/.543 career), CF Daniel Hayward (.232/.298/.474 last year as rookie), RF Francis Ikarashi (.264/.399/.373 career).

Rotation: Martin Gagnon (career 2.93 ERA), Monzaemon Mihashi (career 3.03 ERA), Ryan Dye (career 3.62 ERA), Bryan Kendall (career 3.77 ERA). Ed Staitie (career 3.47 ERA, 122 SV) may join rotation as well! Closer: Jason Hilton (if Staitie goes to rotation) (career 3.46 ERA, 66 SV).

Predicted finish: 2nd in the Seward.



Hitting stars: 3B Mark Beach (career .331/.377/.398), LF Colin Garrett (career .305/.369/.534).

Rotation stars: John Cormack (1 IP for SFG last year, career 3.39 ERA at single-A), Eugene Pond (career 3.50 ERA), Mark Deacon (career 4.23 ERA at single-A, 25 years old). Closer: Walter Teranishi (career 2.68 ERA, 18 SV, 21 years old).

Predicted finish: 4th in the Denali. But in a division this wide-open, except at the top, they could finish anywhere from second to last.



Hitting stars: C Norm Corson (career .217/.313/.379 at single-A and aged 28, but scouts like him), 3B Bill Seguin (career .245/.286/.381, 184-41 SB-CS), SS Gates Matkin (.298/.355/.403 career, age 24), LF Tommy Okawa (.306/.443/.439 career), CF Olivier Theriault (.267/.345/.438 career), RF Keith MacNeill (.294/.381/.583 last year as 28-year-old rookie).

Rotation: Anthony Sonier (career 3.09 ERA), Scott Northeast (career 3.29 ERA), Cisco Pena (career 4.54 ERA, 23 years old), Jesse Alexander & Vincent Robinson. Closer: Bill Colwill (3.76 ERA, 157 SV for his career).

Predicted finish: 1st in the Denali.



Hitting star: 2B Dale Robison (career .279/.358/.454). Rotation star: Steven Henry (career 4.34 ERA, age 24).

Predicted finish: 5th in the Seward.



Hitting stars: C Pierre-Alexandre Langlois (career .309/.408/.506, 43 years old), 1B-3B-SS Scott Bradley (career .291/.359/.476), CF Bryce Payne (.283/.334/.414 career), RF Kisei Suto (career .313/.399/.497, 25 years old).

Terrible rotation, led by Stephen Hill (career 3.98 ERA) and John Dewitt (career 3.89 ERA). Closer: Bryant Brenton (career 3.64 ERA, 114 SV).

Predicted finish: 2nd in the Denali.



Hitting star: 2B John Abston (career .298/.363/.538, 250-68 SB-CS). Rotation stars: Chip Becker (career 3.62 ERA), Chance Major (career 3.26 ERA). Closer: Loren Coleman (career 3.52 ERA, 99 SV).

Predicted finish: 3rd in the Denali.



Hitting stars: C Bob Russo (.274/.353/.453 career), 1B Arnie Heard (career .303/.403/.545), 2B Zander Sabin (career .264/.338/.413), 3B Ron Leighton (career .263/.322/.519, 24 years old).

Rotation stars: Harvey Romanov (career 5.13 ERA, age 24), Louis Mays (career 3.30 ERA).

Predicted finish: 3rd in the Seward.



Hitting star: SS Jack Hussey (.315/.397/.410 career, age 23). Mediocre rotation led by Al Simmons (career 3.87 ERA), Will Blain (career 3.77 ERA), and Leif Morris (career 4.27 ERA). Closer: Brad Morris (career 3.30 ERA with 114 SV).

Predicted finish: 5th in the Denali.



Hitting star: 2B Charley Logan (career .301/.413/.432). Rotation stars: Ron Yuke (career 2.91 ERA, 111 SV, started twice last year), John Mack (career 3.49 ERA), Rick Sonier (career 3.57 ERA).

Predicted finish: 6th in the Denali.

[Elendil]

2015 Season: To the All-Star Break

April Owners' Meeting

The owners held their annual preseason meeting at the league office in Anchorage, and for the first time in some years controversy erupted.

The Sitka ownership tabled a motion to amend the league rules to introduce an arbitration system for players' fourth through sixth seasons in the Alaskan League, similar to that used in Major League Baseball, to reduce the cash maximum for clubs and thereby facilitate greater revenue-sharing, and to increase the away team share of gate revenues from 20% to 30%.

The Board of Governors, composed of the team presidents and the Commissioner, voted on the motion. The Commissioner abstained, and the motion failed, garnering the supporter of only Sitka, Whitehorse, Kodiak, and Bethel. Peninsula, Mat-Su, and North Pole joined the larger-market teams in voting no.

In an unprecedented move, the "Gang of Four," as they quickly became known in the media, held a press conference to announce that they would seek a settlement of the issue by the end of the next offseason, or they would put their franchises "on strike," refusing to play games in 2016.

If that weren't enough, the league potentially faced more trouble on the horizon. A "Canadian League of Baseball" was organizing, and they would certainly have a hunger for decent baseball talent. The Alaskan League might have to start settling for a lower quality of player if the new Canadian League skimmed off the cream of Alaskan baseball talent. Nevertheless, the prospect remained just a cloud on the horizon, for the moment.

League Happenings: May, June, July

• Opening Day, May 1: Fairbanks whips North Pole, 9-5, and left fielder Colin Garrett has one of the best single-game performances in league history, going 5-for-5 with a walk, two home runs, four runs scored, and five runs batted in.
• May 4: Sitka wins "snow marathon." In a rare Sitka snowstorm, the Sentinels go 20 innings with Fairbanks, defeating them 8-5 in deteriorating conditions. Light-hitting third baseman Carl Whitehead provides the heroics, tying the game in the bottom of the 12th with a solo home run and then winning the game in the 20th with a grand slam.
• May 14: Kodiak left fielder Harry Harkness goes 6-for-7, tying the league record for hits in a game. All singles except for one double.
• May 24: Kodiak rips Peninsula, 23-4. They set an Alaskan League record for runs minus hits in a game, with just 15 hits. The Grizzlies score in every inning. Harry Harkness has an even better game, going 5-for-5 with a walk, a double, two home runs, five runs batted in, and FIVE runs scored!
• May 29: Miners and Pilots combine for 33 runs. Anchorage outlasts Mat-Su for the 18-15 victory. Anchorage built an 11-3 lead before Mat-Su closed to 11-10 by the middle of the sixth inning. But the Pilots then put it away with seven more runs in the bottom of the sixth. The winning pitcher is Mike Rancourt, despite giving up ten runs in five and two-thirds innings! The game features 16 extra-base hits between the two teams. The ageless Pierre-Alexandre Langlois goes 3-for-4 with two walks, two home runs, three runs, and six RBI for the Miners.
• June 14: John Cormack loses a no-hitter on the last batter. The Fairbanks pitcher had a no-no going through eight and two-thirds innings, but Mark Navarro of Anchorage broke it up in explosive fashion, hitting a solo home run. Fairbanks wins, 8-1, and Cormack settles for a complete game victory.
• June 24: The first major deadline deal: AGP trades 25-year-old shortstop Doug Tomlinson (.275 BA, .345 OBP with 1 HR at the time) to ANC for 34-year-old starting pitcher Tom Pick (5-4, 5.60 ERA at the time). Pick hasn't been effective in years. He makes a little less than Tomlinson, who is offensively good but defensively subpar, but he's signed through three years. Bad deal for the Pilots in my view.
• June 30: Mega-deal as the Bucs swap right fielder Mark O'Feeney (.301 BA, 50 hits, 5 HR, 28 RBI, .346 OBP, 26 runs at the time) to Peninsula for first baseman Arnie Heard (.297 BA, 5 HR at the time). This has to be a salary dump for the Oilers. Heard is flat-out awesome and still young, but makes a pretty penny, while O'Feeney is decent but more importantly makes league minimum.
• June 30: Yet another big deal for the Bucs, as they trade 1B John Brown to Kodiak for reliever James Marshall. Brown is a five-time All-Star but is deteriorating defensively and will make almost $70K a year for the next three years. Marshall has a 5.96 ERA; he's serviceable but nothing special. Salary dump for the Bucs I guess, after the Heard deal.
• June 30: Fairbanks makes a shrewd move for the future, dealing 22-year-old 3B Mark Beach to Mat-Su for 29-year-old 2B-3B Toby Burns. Beach will be a free agent at season's end and Fairbanks can't re-sign him. He's already a star, though, hitting .325 with a .404 OBP this year. Burns is signed through '16 and is hitting .265 with 9 HR and a .359 OBP.
• July 1: Chugiak hangs 25 runs on Kodiak. They defeat the Grizzlies 25-5 on 22 hits and seven walks. Every position player and pinch-hitter who hits for Chugiak gets on base. The only hitter who does not get on base is starting pitcher Ryan Dye, who does however drive in a run. Dave Lepine has eight RBI, four of them coming on a ninth-inning grand slam, and Phil Botfield goes 3-for-7 with 7 RBI.
• July 17: All-star teams are announced. Team representation breaks down as follows:
  Seward Division
  Chugiak - 8
  Anchorage (AGP) - 6
  Anchorage (ANC) - 4
  Kodiak - 4
  Peninsula - 2
  Bethel - 2
  Denali Division
  Juneau - 7
  Fairbanks - 6 (the top four starters in their rotation and their closer are all selected)
  North Pole - 5
  Whitehorse - 2
  Mat-Su - 2
  Sitka - 2

[Elendil]

Sitka Harbor

July 19, 2015 - The 2015 Alaskan League All-Star Game was played at Field of the Sentinels in Sitka. Yukoner Ron Yuke (2.20 ERA) took the mound for the Denali Division, while Musher Shane Russell (4.44 ERA) started for the Sewards.

The Seward Division quickly took the lead in the first, as Francis Ikarashi drove home Chugiak teammate Phil Botfield. Botfield scored again in the 3rd, after hitting his second double, when Sean Heath reached on an error by right fielder Kisei Suto. 2-0 Seward Division.

The Denalis answered in the 4th, when John Abston singled off Jason Hilton, stole second, and then scored on a Suto double. 2-1.

In the top of the 6th, Musher Jimmy Johnston (3.76 ERA) took the mound for the Seward Division. Senator Tommy Okawa led off the inning with a walk, then Suto singled him to third. Senator Olivier Theriault got Okawa home with a sac fly, tying the game. Nick 3B Ken Swerdlow then doubled to put two runners in scoring position. Miner catcher Pierre-Alexandre Langlois gave the Denali Division the lead with a sac fly, before Johnston got the final out.

In the bottom of the 7th, the Sewards took the lead back, roughing up Goldpanner Dwayne Smith for two runs, one coming on an error and the other on a sac fly. 4-3.

With their last at-bats, the Denali All-Stars tied it up, Abston singling home Goldpanner Dave Squires, who had reached on error. With Geoffrey Townend pitching in the bottom of the 9th, Buc CF Jimmy Williams was thrown out at the plate, and the game went to extra innings.

In the bottom of the 12th, the Denali Division brought in their 10th pitcher, Goldpanner Mark Deacon. He promptly gave up a solo home run to Phil Botfield. Final score: Seward Division 5, Denali Division 4. Phil Botfield was All-Star MVP, going 3-for-6 with 4 runs scored.

Standings

Seward Division

PEN: 42-33
ERC: 38-35, 3 GB
ANC: 37-35, 3.5 GB
AGP: 36-36, 4.5 GB
KOD: 28-42, 11.5 GB
BET: 24-45, 15 GB

Denali Division

JUN: 50-22
FAI: 46-27, 4.5 GB
MSM: 37-38, 14.5 GB
NPN: 35-36, 14.5 GB
WHI: 32-41, 18.5 GB
SIT: 29-44, 21.5 GB

So far things aren't working out at all as expected in the Seward Division, with Peninsula shocking all observers by holding onto a slim lead over Chugiak more or less since the start of the season. The Bucs are also doing surprisingly well, and the Glacier Pilots surprisingly poorly. The Seward Division as a whole has disappointed compared to the Denali Division, which was - apart from Juneau - widely supposed the much inferior division in preseason analyses.

Meanwhile, Fairbanks has exceeded the wildest expectations of their most ardent fans - of whom there aren't many at this point. Their young players, such as Walter Teranishi, Colin Garrett, and Dave Squires, have finally developed into stars, while their free agent signings - John Cormack, Mark Deacon - have paid off in spades. The Goldpanners lead the league in team ERA (3.59), despite a BABIP of .292. If they maintain their current position in the standings and their .630 winning percentage, they would earn the dubious distinction of being the team with the highest winning percentage not to win a divisional pennant in league history (the Jets' .620 last year is the current record).

Juneau is still dominating, as expected, and they're doing it with team defense (pitching BABIP: .256, by far the best - league average is .295). Juneau and Chugiak also both seem poised to break the team record for runs scored in a season (643), set by the Nicks in 2010. However, their accomplishments might be less impressive than the Nicks', considering that 2010 was an extreme low-offense year (league ERA: 3.83), while 2015 has been the most extreme high-offense year ever so far (league ERA: 4.67). Juneau's team OPS is an almost unbelievable .854.

In a little over two weeks, rosters will expand. By that time it should be clear whether the Glacier Pilots can get themselves back in the race, and whether the Senators will slip and perhaps offer Fairbanks an opening.

[bucketsndimes]

Hey, I just read through most of this (did a lot of skimming) and its really great.

I had a question though which may require a rather long answer...

How exactly did you go about creating the league and is it mostly players from Alaska? If so how'd you do that?

I've never quite figured out how to setup a league set in one specific state or country or something (always wanted to do one set in Canada).

Thanks and keep it up!

[Elendil]

Originally Posted by bucketsndimes

Hey, I just read through most of this (did a lot of skimming) and its really great.

I had a question though which may require a rather long answer...

How exactly did you go about creating the league and is it mostly players from Alaska? If so how'd you do that?

I've never quite figured out how to setup a league set in one specific state or country or something (always wanted to do one set in Canada).

Thanks and keep it up!

Most of the players are from Alaska... The way to do it is to create a state as a nation in the nations.txt file. In the Mods forum, there is a link to a nations.txt file you can download that has all 50 states as nations. However, I added a lot more to my file than what that file has (new cities, different ethnic composition from the U.S., etc.). I think it also has little flag files for each state.

[No Pepper]

Keep up the great work Elendil! About the time you began this dynasty I was thinking about creating an Alaskan league. I scrapped it when I saw yours. Anyways, I have these laying around if you'd want to use them?

[Elendil]

Originally Posted by No Pepper

Keep up the great work Elendil! About the time you began this dynasty I was thinking about creating an Alaskan league. I scrapped it when I saw yours. Anyways, I have these laying around if you'd want to use them?

Sweet! My picture editing program doesn't allow transparency, so my jerseys all look crappy. These will be nice; I'll put 'em to use.

Edit: You wouldn't have 'em in a bit higher resolution, wouldja?

[Elendil]

Final 2015 Standings

After the All-Star Break, both the Oilers and Senators were nearly unbeatable, and they ran away with their divisions. This despite the fact that the Jets actually ended up with a better Pythagorean record than the Oilers. The Senators win their fourth pennant, more than any other Alaskan League team. Fairbanks earns the best year-to-year swing for any club in history. They gained 36 games in the standings this year, more than doubling their win total from last year! Bethel went in the other direction: their 38 wins is the lowest ever for a Seward Division club, even counting the 96-game seasons.

Standings

Seward Division Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10 Peninsula Oilers 65 43 .602 - 59-49 6 34-20 31-23 4-2 17-11 Clinched W3 7-3 Chugiak Jets 60 48 .556 5.0 61-47 -1 33-21 27-27 5-4 13-17 W2 7-3 Anchorage (ANC) Bucs 56 52 .519 9.0 56-52 0 31-23 25-29 4-3 13-13 L1 7-3 Anchorage (AGP) Glacier Pilots 50 58 .463 15.0 55-53 -5 27-27 23-31 3-7 11-16 W3 4-6 Kodiak Grizzlies 46 62 .426 19.0 46-62 0 29-25 17-37 2-7 13-13 L3 3-7 Bethel Mushers 38 70 .352 27.0 36-72 2 21-33 17-37 1-1 13-14 L4 2-8 Denali Division Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10 Juneau Senators 76 32 .704 - 71-37 5 41-13 35-19 8-2 15-11 Clinched L1 8-2 Fairbanks Goldpanners 68 40 .630 8.0 68-40 0 36-18 32-22 6-7 16-11 W1 5-5 Mat-Su Miners 52 56 .481 24.0 54-54 -2 29-25 23-31 4-4 11-15 W1 4-6 North Pole Nicks 52 56 .481 24.0 52-56 0 31-23 21-33 6-5 15-13 L2 3-7 Whitehorse Yukoners 45 63 .417 31.0 46-62 -1 23-31 22-32 5-6 19-16 W1 5-5 Sitka Sentinels 40 68 .370 36.0 41-67 -1 21-33 19-35 3-3 9-15 L1 3-7

[Elendil]

2015 Alaskan Championship Series Preview

Batting Stats

Name	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	TB	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
Davis Osborn LF	102	432	90	138	38	15	19	102	263	32	73	13	2	.319	.368	.609	.976
Mike Gaston SS	105	390	50	100	30	6	3	51	151	23	62	7	6	.256	.299	.387	.686
Ron Leighton 3B	104	385	69	114	30	2	23	93	217	40	69	0	1	.296	.359	.564	.923
Zander Sabin 2B	103	385	83	110	36	7	12	46	196	59	38	7	5	.286	.378	.509	.887
Phil Livingston CF	90	343	76	102	17	9	2	25	143	35	42	30	8	.297	.364	.417	.781
Bob Russo C	88	321	54	89	27	0	11	61	149	35	47	1	0	.277	.352	.464	.816
John Horswill RF	95	264	44	78	19	3	11	59	136	35	37	0	0	.295	.373	.515	.889
Arnie Heard 1B	46	165	37	49	14	5	5	33	88	30	27	1	0	.297	.410	.533	.943
Dennis Saslove 1B	87	159	18	43	7	1	2	13	58	18	31	4	3	.270	.348	.365	.713
Terry Hauk LF	96	151	27	48	12	3	7	24	87	21	21	1	0	.318	.408	.576	.984
Dave Bonnar CF	90	124	23	29	6	1	3	29	46	28	20	0	0	.234	.374	.371	.745
Gary Johnson 1B	22	80	15	29	5	0	1	17	37	6	11	0	0	.362	.414	.463	.876
Ryan Ward C	40	80	5	11	1	0	0	6	12	7	9	0	0	.138	.202	.150	.352
Mark O'Feeney RF	18	71	13	28	4	0	1	11	35	8	12	3	1	.394	.457	.493	.950
Louis Mays SP	22	51	5	8	0	1	2	5	16	0	7	0	0	.157	.154	.314	.468
Ralph Fox 3B	40	46	3	7	1	1	0	3	10	2	13	0	0	.152	.188	.217	.405
Jerry Wither SP	22	46	3	8	1	0	0	3	9	1	14	0	0	.174	.188	.196	.383
Pete Strelioff MR	21	44	4	9	3	0	1	9	15	1	9	0	0	.205	.222	.341	.563
Rob Corley LF	34	41	10	14	3	0	0	9	17	7	6	0	0	.341	.429	.415	.843
Aaron Boudreau SS	46	36	5	8	4	1	0	6	14	0	10	0	0	.222	.216	.389	.605
Harvey Romanov SP	20	33	3	9	3	0	0	1	12	1	6	0	0	.273	.286	.364	.649
George Henneberry LF	28	30	6	5	1	0	0	0	6	5	3	1	0	.167	.286	.200	.486
Aubrey Nelson 1B	15	29	3	7	0	0	0	2	7	1	5	0	0	.241	.267	.241	.508
Newt Langille MR	19	24	4	2	0	0	0	3	2	1	4	0	0	.083	.111	.083	.194
Gabe Berry CF	8	13	2	2	0	0	1	2	5	4	3	1	0	.154	.353	.385	.738
Dave Gibbon MR	30	6	0	1	0	0	0	2	1	0	3	0	0	.167	.167	.167	.333
Braedon MacDonald CL	43	4	0	1	1	0	0	3	2	0	0	0	0	.250	.250	.500	.750
Doug Miles MR	33	4	1	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	.250	.250	.250	.500
Marty Stoner MR	50	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000
Russell Carriere SP	2	3	0	1	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	.333	.333	.333	.667
Mel Stapleton 2B	8	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000
Gene Bayless MR	23	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000
Max Kelly MR	4	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000
Garrett MacBean MR	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000
Philippe Bisaillon MR	45	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000
Tim Yarn 2B	1	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
Keith MacNeill RF	102	420	78	119	32	12	16	91	223	45	44	7	3	.283	.357	.531	.888
Olivier Thériault CF	103	377	86	108	10	2	20	70	182	68	50	12	4	.286	.395	.483	.877
Tommy Okawa LF	101	376	86	132	22	2	4	51	170	97	61	6	4	.351	.482	.452	.934
Ralph Collette 2B	104	354	52	97	18	8	11	60	164	34	48	5	4	.274	.359	.463	.822
Nick Bedford 1B	103	353	62	117	10	2	30	108	221	30	28	3	2	.331	.385	.626	1.011
Norm Corson C	85	329	69	101	32	5	14	58	185	55	31	1	2	.307	.413	.562	.975
Gates Matkin SS	74	315	47	92	11	0	3	28	112	27	47	11	3	.292	.356	.356	.712
Bill Seguin 3B	68	300	48	82	22	7	11	38	151	15	42	25	11	.273	.310	.503	.813
Greg Britton C	72	278	43	80	12	2	13	52	135	8	24	0	1	.288	.322	.486	.808
Walt Duff SS	78	143	20	38	5	4	0	8	51	6	19	3	3	.266	.300	.357	.657
Jim Hanlon 1B	83	124	29	40	8	3	4	19	66	18	15	1	0	.323	.407	.532	.939
Steve Davis 2B	60	71	8	17	2	0	0	10	19	0	20	0	1	.239	.227	.268	.494
Cisco Peña SP	22	53	4	7	1	0	0	1	8	1	10	0	0	.132	.148	.151	.299
Jesse Alexander MR	22	50	8	11	1	0	0	7	12	2	14	0	0	.220	.264	.240	.504
Nathan Sginn CF	45	50	7	10	3	1	0	8	15	3	6	4	1	.200	.241	.300	.541
Anthony Sonier SP	21	48	9	15	3	0	2	7	24	5	9	0	0	.313	.377	.500	.877
Vincent Robinson MR	19	41	3	9	1	0	0	7	10	1	5	0	0	.220	.233	.244	.476
Scott Northeast SP	15	34	3	6	3	0	1	5	12	2	7	0	0	.176	.222	.353	.575
Eric Alcock C	8	27	8	11	1	0	5	11	27	1	2	0	0	.407	.414	1.000	1.414
Ray Rayner SP	8	21	5	7	2	0	0	1	9	1	4	0	1	.333	.364	.429	.792
Brian French CF	25	16	3	4	1	1	0	6	7	2	1	0	0	.250	.316	.438	.753
Carl White C	10	14	3	4	1	1	0	2	7	3	2	1	0	.286	.412	.500	.912
Britt Parrish C	10	13	0	3	0	0	0	1	3	0	3	0	0	.231	.286	.231	.516
Dan Jenkins SS	9	8	2	1	0	0	0	0	1	2	1	1	0	.125	.300	.125	.425
Duncan Lacey MR	31	6	0	1	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	.167	.167	.167	.333
Bill Colwill CL	38	5	2	3	1	0	0	1	4	0	0	0	0	.600	.600	.800	1.400
Dennis Roy SS	1	4	0	1	0	0	0	1	1	1	0	0	0	.250	.400	.250	.650
Ed MacNeill MR	33	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000
Bill Aku MR	39	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000
Don Kreamer SS	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000
Kokei Memoto MR	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000
Mike Davis MR	41	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000
Mackenzie Dicks MR	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000
Chris McIntyre MR	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000

Lineups

Peninsula vs RHP:
1. Livingston, CF
2. Johnson, 1B
3. Osborn, LF
4. Leighton, 3B
5. Horswill, RF
6. Sabin, 2B
7. Gaston, SS
8. Russo, C

The Oilers acquired Gary Johnson, the former Fairbanks star, off waivers less than a month ago from the Glacier Pilots, who had played him in the Training League most of the year! The team no longer has Arnie Heard, who was dealt for O'Feeney, and O'Feeney himself will be unavailable for the series due to an injury. Russo will be playing against his former team.

Juneau vs RHP:
1. Seguin, 3B
2. Matkin, SS
3. Okawa, LF
4. Corson, C
5. MacNeill, RF
6. Theriault, CF
7. Bedford, 1B
8. Collette, 2B

The Senators have only player in their lineup with an OPS below .800: Matkin. No injuries.

Evaluation

The Senators are the highest-scoring team of all time, with 685 runs. However, you can argue that the 2010 Nicks, who scored 643 runs when league ERA was 0.80 points lower, are still the best offensive club of all time. Juneau's team line is .291/.366/.474, and they also tied for the league lead in stolen bases with 80 (but were caught an excessive 40 times).

Peninsula is third in the league in runs scored with 654. Their team line is .279/.348/.461, and they have a reasonable 69-26 SB-CS.

Overall, you have to give the edge to the Senators.

Pitching Stats

Name	W	L	SV	ERA	G	GS	IP	HA	R	ER	HR	BB	K	WHIP	OAVG	BABIP
Garrett MacBean MR	0	0	0	0.00	3	0	5.2	3	0	0	0	1	2	0.71	.158	.176
Russell Carriere SP	1	0	0	1.00	2	1	9.0	6	1	1	0	2	2	0.89	.188	.200
Max Kelly MR	0	0	0	3.00	4	0	6.0	7	4	2	0	2	4	1.50	.280	.333
Marty Stoner MR	7	1	0	3.12	50	0	57.2	49	26	20	7	29	40	1.35	.227	.249
Louis Mays SP	12	4	0	3.82	22	22	155.1	151	75	66	21	39	103	1.22	.255	.278
Pete Strelioff MR	8	7	0	4.19	21	21	135.1	148	77	63	13	49	65	1.46	.274	.292
Braedon MacDonald CL	2	4	24	4.75	43	0	47.1	56	32	25	6	7	22	1.33	.279	.289
Dave Gibbon MR	2	3	1	4.77	30	3	60.1	56	40	32	9	22	35	1.29	.247	.257
Harvey Romanov SP	9	8	0	4.78	20	20	128.0	129	80	68	7	49	59	1.39	.265	.290
Jerry Wither SP	9	7	0	4.80	22	22	138.2	143	91	74	14	47	100	1.37	.266	.304
Philippe Bisaillon MR	3	1	5	5.28	45	0	46.0	51	28	27	10	21	41	1.57	.282	.315
Gene Bayless MR	1	0	0	5.40	23	0	23.1	33	26	14	4	8	7	1.76	.340	.337
Newt Langille MR	8	7	0	5.50	19	19	108.0	132	77	66	13	45	49	1.64	.301	.316
Doug Miles MR	3	1	4	6.31	33	0	41.1	52	31	29	5	16	45	1.65	.302	.385

Name	W	L	SV	ERA	G	GS	IP	HA	R	ER	HR	BB	K	WHIP	OAVG	BABIP
Kokei Memoto MR	0	0	0	0.00	2	0	3.2	0	0	0	0	1	4	0.27	.000	.000
Mackenzie Dicks MR	0	0	0	0.00	1	0	0.2	1	0	0	0	0	0	1.50	.250	.250
Ray Rayner SP	6	1	0	2.30	8	8	66.2	52	22	17	3	16	34	1.02	.205	.226
Duncan Lacey MR	5	0	2	2.54	31	0	49.2	40	14	14	5	9	17	0.99	.220	.219
Anthony Sonier SP	12	4	0	2.88	21	21	144.0	105	55	46	16	51	127	1.08	.200	.232
Bill Colwill CL	4	3	21	3.28	38	0	46.2	35	19	17	5	13	36	1.03	.202	.227
Mike Davis MR	6	3	0	3.42	41	0	50.0	48	23	19	5	23	41	1.42	.253	.299
Jesse Alexander MR	11	4	0	3.46	22	22	148.1	122	60	57	13	44	112	1.12	.218	.251
Scott Northeast SP	6	4	0	3.87	15	15	102.1	95	52	44	7	32	40	1.24	.244	.257
Ed MacNeill MR	1	1	1	3.95	33	0	41.0	33	21	18	3	17	34	1.22	.221	.268
Bill Aku MR	5	4	5	3.99	39	0	47.1	50	29	21	6	23	37	1.54	.272	.312
Cisco Peña SP	11	4	0	4.10	22	22	158.0	134	83	72	17	60	105	1.23	.232	.257
Chris McIntyre MR	0	1	0	4.50	2	1	2.0	5	6	1	0	1	0	3.00	.357	.357
Vincent Robinson MR	9	3	0	6.41	19	19	113.2	133	95	81	13	49	40	1.60	.296	.303

Rotations

Peninsula:

1. Mays (LHP)
2. Wither (RHP)
3. Romanov (RHP)

Juneau:

1. Sonier (RHP)
2. Pena (RHP)
3. Northeast (RHP)

Evaluation

When you stack these rotations up against each other, the Senators clearly have an edge, despite Louis Mays' remarkable comeback after moving from Chugiak. (Mays of course had his best years with Juneau.)

For the whole season, Juneau had a team ERA of 3.76, 2nd in the league, and allowed 479 runs. They had a spectacular team BABIP of .258, reflecting solid team defense in both the infield and outfield.

Peninsula had a team ERA of 4.56 and gave up 588 runs. Their team BABIP was .294, right at league average.

In a comparison of the closers, Juneau's Bill Colwill is much better than Peninsula's Braedon MacDonald.

Essentially, then, Juneau has a big advantage in pitching and defense.

Coaching & Intangibles

Peninsula won the season series, 5-3, but that doesn't necessarily mean much. Juneau had a much better record in a division that was stronger than Peninsula's.

Juneau's manager Lindsay Maloney still doesn't get a lot of respect around the league, despite two straight .700+ winning percentage seasons. GM Ron Miller gets a lot more of the credit for having put together a talented team.

Peninsula's Bill Forsyth, by contrast, is widely hailed as a managerial genius for turning around the Oilers in two short years.

The Senators have a lot more ACS experience on their squad. Second baseman Zander Sabin, backup catcher Ryan Ward, and reliever Doug Miles are the only present-day Oilers who were also on the 2010 championship squad - and none of them have been on the team continuously since then.

Prediction

The Senators should, by all logic, take this in a walk. But the last time the Oilers made it to the ACS, they were heavy underdogs to the Nicks, but won it all anyway. So you never know what will happen, but I will go with Juneau in 5.

[thehatfield]

I'm so happy for the Panners! Things are looking good for next year with that pitching staff!

[Elendil]

Originally Posted by Purple Cowboy

I'm so happy for the Panners! Things are looking good for next year with that pitching staff!

Yep! They actually led the league in ERA this year and made almost $300,000, more than enough to pay off all their debts - and they even had to throw in a bit for revenue sharing. Nice turnaround for the club.

Meanwhile, the Nicks lost almost half a million this year. There's a once noble franchise that has gone downhill fast.

[Elendil]

Game One


Auke Bay, near the Ballpark

Louis Mays (12-4, 3.82)

vs.


Anthony Sonier (12-4, 2.88)

August 29, 2015 - Rain and game time temperatures in the 40's kept the crowd down to 1,044 souls as the ninth annual Alaskan Championship Series opened at the Ballpark at Auke Bay.

Leadoff hitter Phil Livingston started things off aggressively for Peninsula, bunting successfully for a hit, then stealing second on the first pitch to Gary Johnson. However, Sonier retired the next three to end the threat.

Meanwhile, Bill Seguin bested Livingston by hitting a leadoff home run in the bottom of the first, giving Juneau the first lead.

The Oilers struck back in the third, with Russo drawing a leadoff walk, then coming around to score on an Osborn single to tie things at 1.

Peninsula's play in the field turned sloppy - Zander Sabin made two errors in the fourth - but it didn't hurt them until the fifth inning. In that inning, Bedford reached second on a catcher throwing error to first. Sonier bunted him over to third, and he scored on a Seguin single to make the score 2-1.

In the bottom of the 6th, the Senators got a little insurance on Mays when Okawa drew a walk and Corson followed that up with a home run to right field. 4-1 Senators.

In the top of the 8th, the Oilers finally got to Sonier again. Livingston once again got a bunt single to start the inning. Pinch hitter Dave Bonnar then hit a line drive single to put runners on the corners. Osborn got Livingston home on a sac fly. Leighton then flied out, but pinch hitter Terry Hauk then singled to put runners on the corners again. Sabin then eked out an infield hit, on which Bonnar scored. Closer Bill Colwill came in to relieve Sonier and got Gaston to fly out, ending the threat. 4-3 Senators.

In the 9th, the Oilers threatened with a two-out rally, Livingston doubling, and then Bonnar singling to right. But Livingston couldn't make it home, and Osborn struck out swinging to end the game. Final score: Juneau 4, Peninsula 3.

Game Two


Jerry Wither (13-3, 2.94)

vs.


Cisco Pena (11-4, 4.10)

August 30, 2015 - With nicer weather tonight, over 1,200 fans turned out for the game.

It started off as a pitchers' duel - only one hit between the two teams for the first three innings, and no runs. In the bottom of the 4th, Juneau drew first blood when Tommy Okawa went deep.

The Oilers didn't get their first hit until the 5th inning - but they never got their first run. Pena held them scoreless through eight innings, allowing just three hits and a walk while striking out three. Colwill came in again and closed the door. Final score: Juneau 3, Peninsula 0. Series lead: 2-0.

Game Three


Scott Northeast (6-4, 3.87)

vs.


Harvey Romanov (9-8, 4.78)

September 1, 2015 - Kenai welcomed its first Alaskan Championship Series game in five years, but under inauspicious circumstances: the hometown Oilers were down two games to none.

Juneau wasted no time going after Romanov, as Matkin and Okawa hit back-to-back singles in the first, followed by a Corson double that drove in Matkin. MacNeill lined into a double play to end the threat. 1-0 Senators.

The Oilers responded immediately. Johnson drew a one-out walk, then Osborn doubled him home. After a Leighton groundout, Horswill singled in Osborn. 2-1 Oilers.

The Oilers gave themselves more of a cushion in the third inning, when Horswill slammed a two-run shot that went 430 feet.

Juneau immediately came back, though. In the top of the 4th, Romanov hit two batters, and then gave up three consecutive hits to Collette, Northeast, and Seguin to make it 4-4.

The error bug struck Peninsula again in the 5th. Sabin and Livingston made errors in that inning, and Bedford's fielder's choice allowed a run to score. 5-4 Juneau.

In the 7th, with Romanov still pitching, Keith MacNeill hit a solo home run, extending the lead to 2 runs.

In the 8th, Bisaillon relieved Romanov, but the trouble continued, as Bedford homered to make it 7-4. Leighton answered for Peninsula in the bottom half off Bill Aku, just in for Northeast, making it 7-5.

Juneau responded with yet another solo home run in the ninth, this one coming off the bat of Norm Corson. Colwill entered once again in the bottom of the 9th and nailed down the 8-5 win for Juneau. Series lead now 3-0.

Game Four

Sonier vs. Mays

September 2, 2015 - It was a rainy and cold night, and only 1,874 fans showed up with the series outcome seemingly in little doubt.

The Senators suffered two injuries early: to Bill Seguin in the second and starting pitcher Anthony Sonier in the fourth, but the Oilers were unable to take advantage. Collette homered in the fourth, and a four-hit, two-run third gave the Senators a 3-0 lead.

The Senators got two more home runs - from Tommy Okawa and Greg Britton - to make the score 7-1 in the sixth inning, putting the game seemingly out of reach.

But in the bottom of the 9th, Peninsula finally awoke for the first time in the series. With one out, Bob Russo doubled off reliever Bill Aku. Pinch-hitter Dave Bonnar then beat out an infield single. Livingston singled to center, plating Russo. 7-2. Johnson then struck a double to center field, allowing Bonnar to score. 7-3. Osborn was intentionally walked to load the bases - a questionable decision because it brought the tying run to the plate! The crowd rose to their feet. After fouling off three pitches, Leighton struck out. The Oilers were down to their last out, and Bill Colwill once again came into the game, attempting to become the first reliever ever to save all four wins for a championship team.

John Horswill was the hitter. He swung at the first pitch and drove it deep, deep... to the deepest part of the field. Back against the wall, Theriault waited for the towering shot to come down. He jumped and snagged the ball for the final out. Peninsula had come inches from tying the game, but instead Juneau celebrated their third Alaskan League championship.

Final score: Juneau 7, Peninsula 3. It's the first ACS sweep ever.

Cisco Pena wins ACS MVP for his eight shutout innings in Game Two. Bill Colwill could have been seriously considered for the honor too, for his three and two-thirds innings of shutout relief.

[bucketsndimes]

Not a very exciting series.

How big are most of the ballparks in the league?

[Elendil]

Originally Posted by bucketsndimes

Not a very exciting series.

How big are most of the ballparks in the league?

They vary pretty widely. I used real capacities for the home fields of Anchorage, Fairbanks, Mat-Su, & Peninsula; most other parks are in the 1200-1800 range. I think Juneau's is 1400.

[Elendil]

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

[Elendil]

2015 wrap-up below. Awards stories to follow tomorrow...

League Standings Seward Division Team W L WPct GB R RA Peninsula Oilers 65 43 .602 - 654 588 Chugiak Jets 60 48 .556 5.0 657 565 Anchorage (ANC) Bucs 56 52 .519 9.0 594 572 Anchorage (AGP) Glacier Pilots 50 58 .463 15.0 579 567 Kodiak Grizzlies 46 62 .426 19.0 586 696 Bethel Mushers 38 70 .352 27.0 455 660 Denali Division Team W L WPct GB R RA Juneau Senators 76 32 .704 - 685 479 Fairbanks Goldpanners 68 40 .630 8.0 613 454 Mat-Su Miners 52 56 .481 24.0 611 613 North Pole Nicks 52 56 .481 24.0 606 626 Whitehorse Yukoners 45 63 .417 31.0 468 555 Sitka Sentinels 40 68 .370 36.0 441 574

Post-Season Results Alaskan Championship Series Juneau over Peninsula, 4-0

League Batting Stats Team R/G R G AB H 2B 3B HR BB SO SB AVG OBP SLG OPS Juneau Senators 6.3 685 108 3837 1116 202 50 134 427 495 80 .291 .366 .474 .841 Chugiak Jets 6.1 657 108 3841 1132 195 42 135 384 554 73 .295 .360 .473 .833 Peninsula Oilers 6.1 654 108 3769 1051 263 55 104 400 583 69 .279 .348 .461 .809 Fairbanks Goldpanners 5.7 613 108 3895 1095 202 36 131 328 555 73 .281 .339 .452 .792 Mat-Su Miners 5.7 611 108 3804 1072 181 29 134 339 583 70 .282 .342 .450 .792 North Pole Nicks 5.6 606 108 3743 1003 190 41 140 364 600 74 .268 .338 .453 .791 Anchorage (ANC) Bucs 5.5 594 108 3771 1010 213 32 114 348 532 35 .268 .332 .432 .764 Kodiak Grizzlies 5.4 586 108 3773 1029 225 41 116 358 583 56 .273 .341 .446 .787 Anchorage (AGP) Glacier Pilots 5.4 579 108 3784 1019 215 40 125 377 563 42 .269 .339 .446 .786 Whitehorse Yukoners 4.3 468 108 3798 942 176 21 90 274 599 62 .248 .303 .377 .680 Bethel Mushers 4.2 455 108 3616 902 164 16 86 332 593 20 .249 .320 .375 .695 Sitka Sentinels 4.1 441 108 3693 918 163 43 60 305 576 80 .249 .308 .365 .673 Totals 5.4 6949 1296 45324 12289 2389 446 1369 4236 6816 734 .271 .337 .434 .771 Average 579 108 3777 1024 199 37 114 353 568 61

League Pitching Stats Team R/G R G CG SHO SV ERA IP HA HRA BB K WHIP OAVG BABIP Fairbanks Goldpanners 4.2 454 108 6 6 29 3.49 982.2 933 100 234 737 1.19 .246 .282 Juneau Senators 4.4 479 108 11 2 29 3.76 974.0 853 93 339 627 1.22 .233 .258 Whitehorse Yukoners 5.1 555 108 8 3 22 4.52 969.1 1058 102 322 530 1.42 .277 .301 Chugiak Jets 5.2 565 108 8 2 23 4.48 962.0 1002 126 328 626 1.38 .267 .291 Anchorage (AGP) Glacier Pilots 5.3 567 108 18 5 17 4.53 962.2 1052 118 287 572 1.39 .278 .301 Anchorage (ANC) Bucs 5.3 572 108 15 4 26 4.70 953.0 1019 107 328 500 1.41 .273 .291 Sitka Sentinels 5.3 574 108 15 3 24 4.65 960.2 987 113 425 505 1.47 .264 .280 Peninsula Oilers 5.4 588 108 2 5 34 4.56 962.0 1016 109 337 574 1.41 .270 .294 Mat-Su Miners 5.7 613 108 15 3 21 4.98 959.0 1072 125 433 462 1.57 .281 .293 North Pole Nicks 5.8 626 108 15 2 14 5.02 960.2 1112 122 370 597 1.54 .288 .315 Bethel Mushers 6.1 660 108 7 5 21 5.40 938.2 1099 115 409 497 1.61 .291 .310 Kodiak Grizzlies 6.4 696 108 9 2 21 5.54 955.0 1086 139 424 589 1.58 .285 .307 Totals 5.4 6949 1296 129 42 281 4.63 11539.2 12289 1369 4236 6816 1.43 .271 .294 Average 579 108 11 4 23 962 1024 114 353 568

League Miscellaneous Stats Team ExpW ExpL Diff AS aAS BAW PAW RAW FAW Attendance Payroll Balance Fairbanks Goldpanners 68 40 0 6 21 0 0 2 2 58,194 $337,861 $300,647 Juneau Senators 71 37 5 7 40 0 1 3 5 72,544 $865,133 $-54,940 Whitehorse Yukoners 46 62 -1 2 23 0 1 0 5 39,639 $543,168 $-230,146 Chugiak Jets 61 47 -1 8 40 0 1 0 5 65,928 $713,307 $-10,995 Anchorage (AGP) Glacier Pilots 55 53 -5 6 52 1 0 0 9 70,480 $826,939 $-192,860 Anchorage (ANC) Bucs 56 52 0 5 38 1 1 0 7 60,600 $634,611 $91,781 Sitka Sentinels 41 67 -1 2 19 0 0 0 7 38,895 $459,486 $-55,483 Peninsula Oilers 59 49 6 2 33 1 1 0 13 72,004 $580,790 $243,287 Mat-Su Miners 54 54 -2 2 35 1 0 0 2 60,236 $698,172 $29,349 North Pole Nicks 52 56 0 5 48 3 3 1 1 50,830 $703,162 $-138,767 Bethel Mushers 36 72 2 2 24 2 0 0 4 38,833 $464,028 $-102,201 Kodiak Grizzlies 46 62 0 4 26 0 0 0 1 50,375 $541,759 $-55,343

League Award Winners

League All-Stars

League Batting Leaderboards Batting AVG S. Pike WHI .386 K. Suto MSM .383 T. Okawa JUN .351 P. Botfield ERC .350 F. Ikarashi ERC .346 On-Base PCT T. Okawa JUN .482 F. Ikarashi ERC .458 K. Suto MSM .454 J. Hussey SIT .425 N. Corson JUN .413 Slugging PCT K. Suto MSM .673 N. Bedford JUN .626 P. Botfield ERC .618 C. Garrett FAI .617 J. Williams ANC .612 On-Base + Slugging K. Suto MSM 1.127 N. Bedford JUN 1.011 P. Botfield ERC 1.010 S. Heath AGP .988 C. Garrett FAI .984 VORP K. Suto MSM 69.3 D. Robison KOD 52.1 J. Williams ANC 44.9 J. Abston NPN 43.6 N. Corson JUN 41.6 Runs Created K. Suto MSM 120.5 P. Botfield ERC 100.3 D. Osborn PEN 93.4 S. Heath AGP 92.6 T. Okawa JUN 90.8 Runs Created / 27 outs K. Suto MSM 12.76 T. Okawa JUN 9.50 F. Ikarashi ERC 9.18 N. Corson JUN 8.93 S. Heath AGP 8.90 Isolated Power J. Williams ANC .318 C. Garrett FAI .308 N. Bedford JUN .295 D. Osborn PEN .289 K. Suto MSM .289 Games T. Burns MSM 109 V. Leroux SIT 108 A. Joly BET 107 C. Logan WHI 106 K. West WHI 106 At-Bats P. Botfield ERC 440 C. Neal FAI 434 D. Osborn PEN 432 T. Shannon FAI 430 G. Shears NPN 425 Runs D. Osborn PEN 90 J. Ledlow ERC 86 T. Okawa JUN 86 O. Thériault JUN 86 Z. Sabin PEN 83 Hits P. Botfield ERC 154 K. Suto MSM 151 D. Osborn PEN 138 G. Robertson MSM 133 T. Okawa JUN 132 Total Bases P. Botfield ERC 272 K. Suto MSM 265 D. Osborn PEN 263 J. Abston NPN 231 C. Garrett FAI 230 Singles S. Pike WHI 114 T. Okawa JUN 104 G. Robertson MSM 103 J. Cashmann ANC 97 S. Ferris AGP 96 Doubles D. Osborn PEN 38 M. Navarro AGP 36 Z. Sabin PEN 36 D. Colwell AGP 35 T. Kuhn ANC 34 Triples D. Osborn PEN 15 K. MacNeill JUN 12 C. Garrett FAI 10 L. York AGP 10 D. Eteldrum ERC 9 Home Runs N. Bedford JUN 30 S. Heath AGP 30 J. Williams ANC 30 D. Squires FAI 28 K. Suto MSM 28 Runs Batted In N. Bedford JUN 108 D. Osborn PEN 102 P. Botfield ERC 97 R. Leighton PEN 93 K. MacNeill JUN 91 Stolen Bases J. Abston NPN 35 C. Neal FAI 34 A. Garant SIT 32 P. Livingston PEN 30 D. Robison KOD 29 Bases-On-Balls T. Okawa JUN 97 F. Ikarashi ERC 73 J. Hussey SIT 68 O. Thériault JUN 68 D. Robison KOD 67 Intentional Walks J. Ledlow ERC 14 R. Leighton PEN 13 T. Okawa JUN 13 O. Thériault JUN 13 P. Elliott NPN 12 Hit-By-Pitch D. Colwell AGP 18 R. Collette JUN 15 G. Shears NPN 13 E. O'Halloran NPN 12 A. Ladner WHI 11 Strikeouts M. Keddy FAI 74 J. Peterson AGP 74 D. Osborn PEN 73 D. Sutherland BET 73 J. Williams ANC 71 Sacrifice Hits J. Mews KOD 16 T. Myers BET 15 B. Spencer AGP 14 B. Horton NPN 13 N. Langille PEN 13 Sacrifice Flies R. Leighton PEN 9 S. Bradley MSM 8 S. Okawa KOD 8 K. Swerdlow NPN 8 J. Abston NPN 7

League Pitching Leaderboards ERA R. Yuke WHI 2.44 E. Pond FAI 2.74 A. Sonier JUN 2.88 J. Cormack FAI 3.10 M. Mihashi ERC 3.38 Wins E. Pond FAI 14 J. Cormack FAI 12 B. Kendall ERC 12 L. Mays PEN 12 A. Sonier JUN 12 Losses W. Horwood WHI 14 L. Morris SIT 13 R. Sonier WHI 13 H. Barrett BET 12 S. Henry KOD 12 Winning PCT B. Kendall ERC .750 L. Mays PEN .750 V. Robinson JUN .750 A. Sonier JUN .750 E. Pond FAI .737 Saves B. MacDonald PEN 24 W. Teranishi FAI 22 B. Colwill JUN 21 A. Beaudoin WHI 20 B. Morris SIT 20 Games Pitched B. Brown ERC 54 M. Stoner PEN 50 E. Long NPN 49 J. Adams ERC 47 Z. Dyck MSM 47 Games Started J. Cormack FAI 25 S. Hill MSM 25 C. Becker NPN 24 J. Mews KOD 24 T. Myers BET 24 Complete Games J. Dewitt MSM 8 B. Kendall ERC 8 J. Lynn NPN 8 A. Simmons SIT 8 J. House ANC 7 Shutouts J. House ANC 2 E. Pond FAI 2 D. Taggart AGP 2 J. Crudge BET 1 J. Dewitt MSM 1 Innings Pitched C. Becker NPN 175.1 J. Dewitt MSM 168.0 J. Cormack FAI 165.1 J. Mack WHI 165.0 J. Mews KOD 164.1 Hits Allowed J. Mews KOD 202 M. Rancourt AGP 202 J. Dewitt MSM 197 R. Sonier WHI 195 C. Becker NPN 189 Home Runs Allowed C. Becker NPN 24 M. Rancourt AGP 22 W. Blain SIT 21 L. Mays PEN 21 S. Russell BET 20 Walks Allowed J. Lynn NPN 78 J. Mews KOD 77 J. Henderson MSM 75 L. Morris SIT 72 J. Dewitt MSM 67 Walks per 9 IP J. Cormack FAI 1.5 E. Pond FAI 1.5 M. Deacon FAI 1.7 R. Yuke WHI 1.8 D. Smith FAI 1.9 Strikeouts R. Yuke WHI 162 C. Major NPN 132 J. Cormack FAI 129 B. Kendall ERC 128 A. Sonier JUN 127 Strikeouts per 9 IP R. Yuke WHI 9.9 G. Townend NPN 9.0 C. Major NPN 9.0 A. Sonier JUN 7.9 B. Kendall ERC 7.6 K/BB R. Yuke WHI 5.40 J. Cormack FAI 4.78 E. Pond FAI 4.33 M. Deacon FAI 4.14 D. Smith FAI 3.62 WHIP R. Yuke WHI 0.96 E. Pond FAI 0.99 J. Cormack FAI 1.02 A. Sonier JUN 1.08 J. Alexander JUN 1.12 Hits per 9 IP A. Sonier JUN 6.6 R. Yuke WHI 6.8 J. Alexander JUN 7.4 E. Pond FAI 7.4 B. Kendall ERC 7.6 Opponents AVG A. Sonier JUN .200 R. Yuke WHI .205 J. Alexander JUN .218 E. Pond FAI .224 J. Cormack FAI .226 Opponents OBP R. Yuke WHI .252 E. Pond FAI .259 J. Cormack FAI .261 J. Alexander JUN .276 A. Sonier JUN .280 Opponents SLG J. Alexander JUN .335 E. Pond FAI .342 R. Yuke WHI .346 A. Sonier JUN .357 J. Cormack FAI .366 Opponents OPS R. Yuke WHI .597 E. Pond FAI .601 J. Alexander JUN .610 J. Cormack FAI .628 A. Sonier JUN .637 BABIP A. Sonier JUN .232 J. House ANC .251 J. Alexander JUN .251 C. Peña JUN .257 M. Mihashi ERC .257 VORP R. Yuke WHI 55.8 E. Pond FAI 52.8 J. Cormack FAI 46.3 A. Sonier JUN 43.5 B. Kendall ERC 41.5

[Elendil]

2015 Awards


It was a pay-raising season for Mat-Su's right fielder. Regardless of where Kisei Suto signs next year [hint from photo: it's Juneau - the rich get richer], this 2015 Alaskan League Hitter of the Year Award winner will be considered a marquee pickup.

He excelled with 151 hits, 28 doubles, 1 triple, 28 home runs, and 85 RBI while compiling his .383 batting average. He also came within 1 point of breaking Bob Horton's league record for single-season VORP.


Ron Yuke of the Whitehorse Yukoners already has three Reliever of the Year Awards under his belt, and now he's added a Pitcher of the Year Award in his first full season as a starter.

Here are his award-winning stats: 7-4 record, 2.44 ERA (1st in league), 23 GS, 147.1 IP, 111 HA, 30 BB, 162 K, .205 OBA.


This season his lightning swing and solid bat helped the sensational newcomer, Norm Corson of the Juneau Senators, capture the Rookie of the Year Award in the Alaskan League.

The talented catcher sparked his team by hitting .307 with 14 home runs, 58 RBI, and 69 runs scored.


Anchorage (AGP) closer Floyd Arrington, soon to become a free agent, has taken home the Alaskan League Reliever of the Year Award for the second straight year.

Arrington pitched 44 innings, giving up 3 home runs and 12 walks and striking out 52, posting a 3.27 ERA with 13 saves.


Outfielder Jimmy Williams of the Anchorage Bucs was chosen as the Alaskan League's 2015 Comeback Player of the Year. Before going down with a fractured cheekbone late in the season, Williams had taken the league lead in home runs, and he ended up tied for the league lead at 30 at year's end. He was third in the league in hitting VORP and hit .293/.372/.612.

Now 37, Williams played in a platoon situation in 2013 and 2014 and did not get a chance to excel at the plate. By all accounts 2015 was his best season since 2008.

Manager of the Year
Bob Adamson has taken his share of flak in his managerial career. He presided over six straight last-place finishes by the Fairbanks Goldpanners, from 2009 to 2014. He'd never managed a team with a winning record and had faced a prolonged fan campaign for his firing.

But this year Adamson proved all the naysayers wrong by helping to engineer the best year-to-year team turnaround in history, taking the Panners to 2nd place in the Denali Division of the Alaskan League just one year after the team had set the all-time record for losses in a season. For that accomplishment he has been selected the 2015 Alaskan League Manager of the Year.

[thehatfield]

Badger Bob has to stay!

[Elendil]

Crisis in the Small Markets

The owners met again in mid-September to try to resolve a festering dispute over financial support for small-market clubs. The owners of Bethel, Kodiak, Sitka, and Whitehorse were threatening to take their teams "on strike" and refuse to play in 2016 if the league did not meet their demands, which included:
1) A management-friendly salary arbitration system similar to MLB that would allow teams to retain rights to professional players for up to six years before they became eligible for free agency;
2) An increase in the away team gate share;
3) A reduction in the cash maximum to increase revenue sharing;
4) A reduction in the league minimum salary to $5000 per year.

Items 1 and 3 were the most controversial and faced heavy resistance from a number of clubs. Salary arbitration could reduce players' incentive to sign up for the Alaskan League draft in the first place. Item 4 would have the same sort of effect, but less strong perhaps. In the end, the owners adopted by majority vote a Commissioner proposal to adopt items 2 and 4 above (away team gate share was increased to 30%), as well as an amended schedule for 2016 that reduced the number of doubleheaders and gave small-market clubs a disproportionate share of weekend home games. Kodiak voted with the majority to accept the compromise, while the Glacier Pilots voted against, thinking the deal too friendly to the complaining clubs.

Bethel, Sitka, and Whitehorse kept up the resistance campaign, still threatening to pull out of the 2016 season. In response, the Commissioner's office would eventually resort to the threat of contraction.

Danger: The Canadian League of Baseball

On October 8, the Anchorage Daily News ran a bombshell of a story: the Anchorage Glacier Pilots were in negotiation with the Canadian League of Baseball to join that league.

The Canadian League had already organized teams from Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Regina, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, London, Kitchener, Hamilton, Mississauga, St Catharines (Niagara), Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec, and Halifax. A franchise in Anchorage would give the league an even 16.

If the Glacier Pilots were to jump leagues, they would lose all rights to their players. However, they would retain stadium, advertising, merchandising, and broadcasting rights, as well as all their intellectual property.

By the end of October, word got out that the negotiations between the CLB and the Glacier Pilots were bogged down. The CLB issued a press release announcing that they were now seeking negotiations with the Anchorage Bucs and, if those failed, would consider establishing a new franchise in Anchorage.

Obviously, any of these options would be devastating for the Alaskan League. The departure of a traditional franchise would be a blow, but the direct competition from the league would probably be too much to sustain. The very existence of the Canadian League was threatening enough as it was: they could expect some of the best Alaskan players to leave for more money in the Canadian League if the league was a success.

Major Retirements

Bob Horton and Doug Beard retired after the 2015 season. Horton's final career numbers included 143 HR, 478 RBI, 519 runs, 835 hits, and a .319 batting average. He had spent 5 1/2 of his 9 years with the North Pole Nicks. He was an All-Star five times and Hitter of the Year twice.

Beard finished with 132 HR, no mean feat considering that he was rarely a full-time starter. He also had 442 RBI, 476 runs, 773 hits, and a .290 batting average. He was a five-time All-Star and once won a Glove Wizard in right field. He spent time with six different teams but was best known for his work with Juneau from 2007-2010 and again in 2014.

Jack Hatt and John Lynn were the most important pitcher retirees. Hatt finished his career with an 89-64 record and a 3.58 ERA. He was a six-time All-Star, once a Pitcher of the Year, and spent every season but one (2011) with the Anchorage Bucs. He finished his career on a bit of a down note, with a 5.12 ERA but a 10-7 record.

Lynn was equally impressive, finishing with a career 83-53 record and 3.56 ERA. He was a three-time All-Star and was best known for his work with Ketchikan-Whitehorse from 2007-2012. His last year was a bit subpar, as he posted a 4.89 record for the Nicks.

Team Offseason Moves & Grades



The Bucs lost second baseman John Hauk (career .265/.343/.412, 2015 Glove Wizard) to free agency, and he eventually signed with the rival Glacier Pilots.

They nearly lost promising young pitcher Herb Prat (career 3.99 ERA) but signed him to a 2-year contract after he had filed.

Otherwise, the team managed to improve significantly. They brought in outfielder Harry Harkness (career .305/.384/.457) on a rather generous 3-year deal (loss for Kodiak), and more importantly young Juneau SP Cisco Pena (career 4.37 ERA) on a reasonable 2-year, $34,000 per year contract, less than what Prat - an equally talented pitcher at best - would make.

The Bucs also pulled off a nice trade with the Glacier Pilots, sending them SP Jeremy House (career 4.34 ERA, age 25) for infielder Tom Arnold (career .270/.361/.437, age 32).

More was to come. Before October was out, they had also signed OF Aaron Ladner (career .298/.373/.548 but known for being injury prone) (loss for Whitehorse) and infielder Jonathan Bertrand (career .259/.366/.502, age 38) (loss for Chugiak). Bertrand, who had started at every infield position at different times in his career, would play third for the Bucs, while Arnold would move over to second.

In November, the team made another big deal, sending CF Jimmy Williams (career .291/.362/.543, age 36, 2015 CPOY) to the Miners for SP John Dewitt (career 4.02 ERA). Dewitt had spent most of his career with the Miners, and quite a few fans in the borough were grumpy about his departure.

Finally, the Bucs made a few more signings and a minor trade with Chugiak that brought in former Peninsula star Tommy Lambert (now almost washed up) and enhanced the team's depth.

Overall grade: A-. The only concern is that player payroll has increased by almost $80,000. The Bucs have been down this road before: overspending on veterans and underperforming. They weren't a contender in 2015 but will have to contend this year to stay financially healthy. I think they can do it.

More team evaluations to follow...