The IBL's Alaska Avalanche

[gehrig38]

Here's the club, and 1 who almost made it, and a look at when they did it, and how they got here...



500 Homer runs, by age
Curt Whimster 5/14/26 (38 years 357 days)

400 Homer runs, by age
Luis Chavez 5/31/26 (31 years 191 days)
Jeffrey Hudson 4/17/26 (33 years 111 days)
Curt Whimster 9/24/21 (33 years 122 days)
Hugh Collins 7/14/24 (34 years 317 days)
Wes Morgan 5/25/24 (35 years 120 days)
Jamie Vance 7/21/25 (35 years 176 days)
Travis Bryant 5/22/22 (37 years 80 days)

Close but retired
Valentin Maitani 398
Ross Tunstall 384

300 Home runs, by age (Ital = inaugural draft player)
Luis Chavez 6/5/23 (29 years 195 days) Hit 3 home runs in the game (2012 amateur draft 19th round (441st overall) by Sacramento out of Farmersville HS, TX)
Jeffrey Hudson 5/28/2023 (30 years 181 days) (Inaugural draft 146th round (3504th overall) by Columbus)
George Quinn 5/25/25 (30 years 235 days) (2016 amateur draft 1st round (13th overall) by Phildadelphia out of Mt.St.Mary's College)
Valentin Maitani 8/28/20 (30 340 days) (Inaugural draft 3rd round (63rd overall) by El Paso)
Curt Whimster 5/6/19 (30 years 349 days) (Inaugural draft 1st round (9th overall) by Tulsa)
Christian Schall 6/6/23 (31 years 155 days) 1 day after Chavez (Inaugural draft 33rd round (769th overall) by Columbus)
Bill Alexander 6/18/19 (31 years 177 days) (Inaugural draft 3rd round (52nd overall) by Chicago)
Wes Morgan 7/25/20 (31 years 183 days) (Inaugural draft 4th round (93rd overall) by Chicago)
Chandler Harris 4/3/23 (31 years 331 days) (Inaugural draft 31st round (740th overall) by Los Angeles)
Hugh Collins 8/13/21 (32 years 12 days) (Inaugural draft 32nd round (765th overall) by Chicago)
Alberto Vargas 8/24/19 (32 years 30 days) (Inaugural draft 1st round (7th overall) by Buffalo)
Ron Stokes 7/26/22 (32 years 39 days) (2012 Amateur draft 2nd round (26th overall) by Tulsa out of Chico St. U.)
Jamie Vance 7/26/22 (32 years 181 days) (2013 Amateur draft 1st round (8th overall) by Michigan out of UCLA)
Brent McCoy 7/14/21 (33 years 172 days) (Inaugural draft 7th round (165th overall) by Sacramento)
Michael Moran 9/24/24 (33 years 232 days) (2013 Amateur draft 1st round (12th overall) by Arizona out of Manhattan U.)
Caden Haynes 8/23/22 (33 years 259 days) (Inaugural draft 10th round (226th overall) by El Paso)
Ross Tunstall 7/21/20 (33 years 273 days) (Inaugural draft 2nd round (30th overall) by Pittsburgh)
Troy Glaus 6/13/25 (33 years 310 days) (Signed as MLB FA by Alaska 1/1/15)
Travis Bryant 7/15/19 (34 years 133 days) (Inaugural draft 2nd round (31st overall) by Staten Island)
Rafael Cuesta 9/7/24 (34 years 181 days) (Inaugural draft 79th round (1887th overall) by El Paso)
Paul Reeves 7/7/25 (34 years 237 days) (Inaugural draft 30th round (716th overall) by Houston)
Lando Jongmans 5/8/25 (34 years 271 days) (Inaugural draft 2nd round (37th overall) by Baltimore)
Cy May 6/17/20 (35 years 127 days) (Inaugural draft 1st round (5th overall) by Houston)
Marcos Oginlara 7/13/25 (35 years 143 days) (2013 Amateur draft 1st round (3rd overall) by New York out of Clemson)
Gerald Wright 5/12/24 (36 years 37 days) (Inaugural draft 1st round (15th overall) by El Paso)
Alejandro Villanueva 8/11/23 (37 years 262 days) (Inaugural draft 1st round (18th overall) by Staten Island)
Bill Hill 9/3/20 (38 years 9 days) (Inaugural draft 1st round (2nd overall) by Dayton)
Tim Davis 4/4/2024 (39 years 63 days) (Inaugural draft 3rd round (58th overall) by Edmonton)

Close but retired
Angelo Gomez 299 (Inaugural draft 3rd round (49th overall) by Columbus)
Orlando Rios 287 (Inaugural draft 23rd round (539th overall) by Fresno)
Bob Herman 285 (Inaugural draft 2nd round (43rd overall) by Michigan)

[gehrig38]

2026 WEEK 11
RECORD: 3-3
OVERALL: 46-22 +13.5
RUNS SCORED: 341 (24) 10th
RUNS AGAINST: 257 (31) 1st
OWNER/FANS: Very Happy 80/100 (-2)
SCHEDULE: 2 vs Fresno/3 vs Los Angeles/Off Day/1 @ Columbus

6/8
FRE 6 ALK 3
W-Wright (8-2) L-C.Durham (8-4) S-R.Cruz (15)
HR FRE-Brooks (7) ALK-Harrell (11)
Travis Wright goes 8-6-3-3-0-4 to go 8-2 2.77 on the year. Colin Durham gave up a lead early and Chris Brooks' 2 run shot in the 7th iced it, he was 2-4 with the homer, 2 runs and 2 RBI's (28) out of the leadoff spot.

6/9
ALK 4 FRE 3
W-Solis (6-4) L-Bond (7-6) S-Wheeler (17)
HR FRE-Gil (1) ALK-Vargas (5)
Carlos Gomez and Tim Harvey hit back to back RBI singles to tie it up in the 7th, and shortstop Andre Blakeway threw away David Ledezma's 2 out grounder for the eventual game winning run. Cordell Bond wen the distance (8-8-4-3-0-2) in the loss and Jesus Solis went 7-7-3-3-2-4 with Valdes (15) getting it to Mike Wheeler to end it. Juan Gil was 2-4 with a 3 run homer (his 1st IBL HR) to account for Fresno's offense.

6/10
LA 5 ALK 3
W-Pennington (8-4) L-Buckley (8-4) S-Romo (13)
HR NONE
Gerald Buckley struggled, but that wasn't the bad news. He left in the 4th with an apparent arm 'issue' that we are waiting to hear about....Chris Pennington continued his strong year with a 7.1-5-1-1-2-3 outing. Kevin Olson went 2-4 with a double (9) triple (1) and 2 RBI's (20) in the loss.

6/11
ALK 5 LA 4 (10)
W-Casas (3-0) L-Romo (3-2)
HR LA-Dejesus (16) Rollins (12) Bernarda (12) ALK-Merritt (2)
Stan Hall left the game tied 3-3 in the 8th after 116 pitches (7.1-6-3-3-3-9) and Cisco Casas gave up the lead on Pedro De Jesus' 10th inning, 2 out, solo homer. Roberto Romo came on, and after Pete Merritt k'd to start the inning Ibarbia walked on a full count, Harrell walked, Garcia singled, scoring Ibarbia, Gomez singled to load the bases again and then Kevin Olson watched 4 straight balls from Romo as he walked in the game winner. Garcia was 3-5 and Merritt drove in 2 with a 1st inning homer.

6/12
ALK 6 LA 4
W-Drake (6-2) L-Butler (5-7) S-Wheeler (18)
HR ALK-McBryde (14)
A game to define the term “costly win”. Mauro Ibarbia tears his meniscus in the 3rd inning and word is he'll miss at least the next 5 weeks. John Drake was dominating, punching out 11 in 7.2 innings, giving up just 1 earned with 1 walk. Valdes came on, got 2 outs in the 9th before imploding and forcing Mike Wheeler in to get the final out. David Ledezma singled twice, stole a base (5) and scored 3 times while Wes Webb came in for Ibarbia and went 2-2 with an RBI (10). Dirk McBryde, who's been in a massive slump, homered and scored 2.

INJURY NEWS-Ibarbia will head to the DL, and it's going to hurt. Still no word on Gerald Buckley as well. Duane Long will get the call up.

GREAT GAMES- Jerry Grant, before this season, had the 3rd highest offensive game score in IBL history, and 1 of only 3 100+ ever. With his 102 game score on 8/28/22 when he went 4-4, hitting 2 home runs driving in 8 and scored 4 times. The all time high game score offensively, was Carlos Torres and his 4-4 4 HR 7 RBI game in 2019, which scored 110. Today that mark was eclipsed.



6/13
Off Day and word comes down that Gerald Buckley will miss the next 2-3 months with an elbow strain. Carlos Hernandez ( 8-4 3.16 in 13 AAA starts) will be added to the roster and recalled. I had hoped they'd both make their IBL debuts this year, just not one subbing in for the other.

6/14
COL 9 ALK 3
W-Abreu (3-5) L-C.Durham (8-5)
HR COL-Lynch (14) Spencer (1) De Los Santos 2 (9)
Columbus pounds 4 homers, De Los Santos going 2-2 with 2 homers 3 runs 4 RBI's (28) and Jose Abreu goes 8-7-3-3-1-5 on 115 pitches for the win.

WEEK 11 SUMMARY
FL POTW-Ramon Castro (CHI) 13-25 3 HR's 16 RBI's (.395-20-100) 100 RBI's in 68 games!
CL POTW-Felix Sanchez (DAL) 13-22 HR 6 RBI's (.355-7-45)

WEEK 11 POWER RANKINGS
1) Chicago (2)
2) Alaska (1)
3) Pittsburgh (-)
4) Corpus Christi (-)
5) Philadelphia (-)
OUT El Paso (10) Michigan (7) Fresno (6)

NEWS/NOTES
Interesting deal in El Paso. Two legit P prospects for a big time bullpen arm. More surprised to see Sacramento give up the closer, in that they're definitely in the race, tied with LA just 6.5 in back of Fresno.
Fresno takes the plunge, adding Carmona.

[gehrig38]

2026 IBL DRAFT
Thought it’d be a nice time to look back on the history of the IBL drafts through VORP. Looking at the top players in IBL history ranked by VORP, and excluding players drafted in the inaugural draft, here’s a look at the best ever, so far, and who took them and where they came from.

TOP 50 POSITION PLAYERS
#3) Luis Chavez-2012 Amateur Draft 19th round (441st overall) by Sacramento out of Farmersville HS, Tx.
#5) Michael Moran-2013 Amateur Draft 1st round (12th overall) by Phoenx out of Manhattan U.
#8) Fred Gill-2015 Amateur Draft 1st round (3rd overall) by Michigan out of UCLA
#9) Jamie Vance-2013 Amateur Draft 1st round (8th overall) by Michigan our of UCLA
#10) Cliff Edwards-2014 Amateur Draft 1st round (11th overall) by San Antonio out of Cal-State Bernadino
#11) Scott Rolen-2015 MLB Free agent signing by Green Bay
#12) Lance Berkman-2017 MLB Free agent signing by Dallas
#14) George Quinn-2016 Amateur Draft 1st round (13th overall) by Philadelphia out of Mt. St. Mary’s U.
#15) Marcos Oginlara-2013 Amateur Draft 1st round (3rd overall) by New York out of Clemson
#16) Tony Greene-2016 Amateur Draft 2nd round (39th overall) by Dayton out of Briggs HS, OH
#17) Pedro Salinas-2015 Amateur Draft 1st round (1st overall) by Chicago out of Oklahoma State
#19) Christian Wilkins-2015 Amateur Draft 3rd round (64th overall) by Arizona out of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
#22) Troy Glaus-2015 MLB Free agent signing by Alaska
#23) Gonzalo Rios-2015 Amateur Draft 2nd round (55th overall) by Los Angeles out of Mississippi Valley State
#24) Earl Shaw-2016 Amateur Draft 1st round (29th overall) by El Paso out of Wilson Creek HS, CA
#25) Jesus Castro-2013 Amateur Draft 1st round (25th overall) by Philadelphia out of Grinnell U.
#26) Jimmy Rollins-2017 MLB free agent signing by Boston
#27) Javier Martinez-2017 minor league FA out of Mexico, signed by Buffalo
#28) George Tanner-2020 Amateur Draft 1st round (20th overall) by Columbus out of San Diego St.
#29) Juan Barrios-2016 minor league FA out of Venezuela, signed by Brooklyn
#32) Ricardo Lozano-2015 Amateur Draft 10th round (254th overall) by Brooklyn out of Quaker Valley HS, PA
#33) David Walker-2017 Amateur Draft 2nd round (58th overall) by Green Bay out of U. of Kentucky
#36) Andre Blakeway-2016 Amateur Draft 1st round (12th overall) by Buffalo out of Tulane
#37) Alex Moreno-2016 Amateur Draft 3rd round (83rd overall) by Las Vegas out of U. of New Orleans
#39) Will Lee-2015 Amateur Draft 3rd round (69th overall) by West Michigan out of Indian River State
#40) Ron Carr-2016 Amateur Draft 2nd round (42nd overall) by Philadelphia out of UC-Irvine
#41) Jose Ibarra-2015 Amateur Draft 6th round (149th overall) by New York out of Brigham Young U.
#42) Pedro Debesa-2014 minor league FA out of Cuba, signed by Columbus
#43) Ramon Castro-2017 Amateur Draft 1st round (15th overall) by Tulsa out of Sault Area HS, MI
#44) Horst Grueter-2015 Amateur Draft 4th round (88th overall) by Buffalo out of Drew HS, CA
#45) Diogo Ameixieira-2017 Amateur Draft 7th round (193rd overall) by Sacramento out of Midland Valley HS, SC
#46) Manny Miranda-2015 Amateur Draft 22nd round (576th overall) by San Antonio out of North Carolina State
#47) Alberto Rivera-2013 minor league FA signed by Chicago
#48) Ismael Guerrero-2014 Amateur Draft 1st round (12th overall) by Staten Island out of Swett HS, NC
#50) Bashir Malik-2020 minor league FA out of Pakistan, signed by Dayton

Amateur Draft = 2012 (1) 2013 (4) 2014 (2) 2015 (9) 2016 (6) 2017 (3) 2020 (1) = 26 of 50

Draft Round = 1st (13 w/1 1st overall) 2nd (4) 3rd (3) 1 each 4th 6th 7th 19th 22nd

Highest pick = Pedro Salinas 1st overall

Lowest pick = Manny Miranda 576th overall

Colleges = 18 (2 from UCLA)

High School = 8

TOP 25 PITCHERS

#2) Angelo Esparza-2018 Amateur Draft 1st round (2nd overall) by San Antonio out of St. Johns
#5) Ramon Roa-2012 Amateur Draft 4th round (84th overall) by Pittsburgh out of U. of Arkansas
#6) Antonio Rodriguez-2012 Amateur Draft 1st round (2nd overall) by Tulsa out of Rice
#9) Mike Lewis-2014 Amateur Draft 1st round (13th overall) by Corpus Christi out of Cardinal Stritch HS, OH
#11) Jesus Romano-2014 Amateur Draft 1st round (2nd overall) by New York out of U. of Arizona
#12) Jim Morris-2012 Amateur Draft 19th round (442nd overall) by Corpus Christi out of Frontier HS, CA
#15) Antonio Sandoval-2013 Amateur Draft 1st round (6th overall) by Columbus out of Ornaway HS, MI
#17) Barry Zito-2015 MLB FA signed by Alaska
#18) Esteban Figueroa-2014 Amateur Draft 11th round (257th overall) by El Paso out of Wareham HS, MA
#19) Stan Hall-2016 Amateur Draft 1st round (5th overall) by San Antonio out of Roselle Park HS, NJ
#20) John Drake-2018 Amateur Draft 1st round (4th overall) by West Michigan out of Clemson
#22) Mike Jones-2014 Amateur Draft 1st round (3rd overall) by Columbus out of Rice
#25) Luis Acosta-2015 Amateur Draft 1st round (4th overall) by Corpus Christi out of Wake Forest

Amateur Draft 2012 (3) 2013 (1) 2014 (4) 2015 (1) 2016 (1) 2018 (2)

Draft Round 1st (9) 4th (1) 11th (1) 19th (1)

Highest pick 2nd overall Angelo Esparza, Antonio Rodriguez, Jesus Romano

Lowest Pick 442nd Jim Morris

College = 7

HS = 5

[gehrig38]

2026 DRAFT
I do not pick until 36, and my bet is none of the players I want will be there. Lowell Cook is the top player on our board, an OF with all 5 tools. I need position players, badly.



I’ll give the 1st round, or almost the 1st round depending on timing, and then my picks.

I am picking 36th, 84th, 117th and then I don’t pick again until the 8th round. So I need to make damn sure of these picks and that means going college bats if they’re there. A huge upside high dollar HS player would also be an option if the pickings are slim. Pitching appears to be incredibly deep this year, and my hope is everyone makes a run at the arms.

1) Providence-Craig Lee LHP (19) High Pt Central HS, NC-6’3” 190-mid 90’s power arm. Asking 3 million.
2) Las Vegas-Wulf Wiegel RHP (17) Zavalla HS, TX-6’7” 210-Mountain of a kid, low 90’s bowling ball sinker with a good slider and fork. Asking 6.5
3) San Jose-Andy Morgan LHP (22) Texas Tech-6’5” 220-Another big boy, outstanding year against great competition with a reasonable ask (2.2). Low to mid 90’s, likely high A or AA ready now.
4) New Orleans-William Anderson RHP (18) Leander HS, TX-6’4” 205-Another big power arm. Mid 90’s with a durable arm and body. Not a real bright guy but only asking 2 million.
5) New York-Woodrow Hudson RHP (18) Greater Lowell Tech, MA-5’10” 175-First under 6’ pitcher taken. Mid to upper 90’s power arm already. Good kid, good clubhouse presence, asking 5.
6) Arizona-Darby Wallace RHP (20) Mt. St. Mary’s College, MD-6’3” 205-Another mid to upper 90’s power arm with a good curve ball and decent change. Asking 3.8.
7) New Orleans-Stan Beasley LHP (19) Clarksville HS, TN-6’7” 215-Voodoo take two big boys, OSA much higher on this kid than our scouts. Asking 1.9, kind of a smart ass, not a great teammate by many reports but New Orleans gets 2 big arms.
8) Hawaii-Juan Aguirre RHP (18) Woodlawn HS, AL-6’2” 190-Durable low 90’s fastball, cutter who will eat innings.
9) Baltimore-Victor Wells SS R/R (19) Corona HS, CA-6’ 165-1st position player taken and many felt he was a top 3 pick talent wise. Top of the order bat, 70 steal legs with huge defensive upside.
10) Dayton-Jesus Rodriguez LHP (21) Florida State-6’ 195-power lefty with upper 90’s stuff. Our guys had him as a top 5 pick. 3 ++ pitches from a baseball factory. Monster year vs great competition, worth the 7.5 he’s asking. AA ready now.

2 players on the board we want, RF Cook and SS Sergio Silva, both asking north of 4. Not sure either will drop but here’s to hoping.
Frick. Cook goes to Brooklyn with the very next pick and Silva goes to El Paso with the 13th pick.

1st pick, 36th overall. Our guys are recommending 22 year old Carl Brown, a RHP out of Clemson. But if you look at the organization right now, I think the top 10, at least, prospects are all pitchers. Not a position player to be found. So we have to take a bat. In looking around the top prospects left are Emilio Lopez Jr, a 19 year old outfielder, Tony Bates a 20 year old 2B, Nick Rice a 17 year old OF and Dave Burkett, a 21 year old 2B. None of them jump out, but Bates is probably the guy our scouts like best for the all around stuff. A good defender, RH, good eye projected to be very good, decent pop, + speed. Good work ethic with high marks as a teammate, and very durable.

By the way, Carl Brown was taken with the 46th overall pick, by Chicago.

Sup. 1st (36th overall) Tony Bates RH 2B 6’ 170 Roosevelt HS, MN
3rd Round (84th overall) Nick Rice LH OF 6’3” 190 Hewlett HS, NY
4th Round (117th overall) Michael Turner RH 3B 6’ 185 Arizona State
8th Round Juan Costa LH 1B 6’1” 205 Wells HS, NY
10th Round Trystao Martens RH OF 6’ 180 Lincoln County HS, TN
11th Round Juan Cortez RHP 6’ 185 U. South Carolina
12th Round Hector Pacheco RH C 6’1” 200 Bellbrook HS, OH
13th Round Jose Chavez RHP 6’2” Hamden HS, CT
14th Round Jorge Gonzalez RH IF 6’ 190 Basha HS, AZ
15th Round Joseph McGeary LH C 6’2” 225 Illinois-Chicago U. (already a 20 defensive catcher)
16th Round David Ward LH OF 6’4” 195 Greece Olympia HS, NY (huge bonus baby)
17th Round Daniel Miller LH 1B 6’1” 215 USC
18th Round Luis Escobedo RHP 6’1” 200 UC-Irvine
19th Round Alan Frank RHP 6’3” 205 U. of Houston
20th Round Carlos Mojica LH UTIL 5’11” 180 U. of Georgia (plays 2B, 3B, SS, CF and RF all 12+ right now)

A quick look at Chicago's draft
They had 5 early picks.
1) Jon Numbers OF (22) Genesee CC (37th overall)
1) Francisco De Los Santos LHP (18) Mancos HS, CO (39th overall)
1) Roy Shaw RHP (22) Oregon State (40th overall)
1) Carl Brown RHP (22) Clemson (46th overall)
2) Andrew Clay RHP (23) Dallas Baptist (76th overall)

[gehrig38]

Starting to see some benefits of focusing on the minors

Looking at our top prospects, we have 10 in the top 200, 5 in the top 50. 8 of them are Pitchers. That's not a bad thing, just shows a lack of depth on the offensive side.

[gehrig38]

Segura cooled off, a ton. Castro is on an RBI pace that would surpass 200, easily. Stan Hall could make a run at the pitching triple crown if he can stay healthy.

And there appears to be more than 1 division that could be a race this year.

[gehrig38]

2026 WEEK 12
RECORD: 5-1
OVERALL: 51-23 +15.5
RUNS SCORED: 374 (33) 9th
RUNS AGAINST: 285 (28 (1st)
OWNER/FANS: Very Happy 80/100
SCHEDULE: 2 @ Columbus/Off Day/3 vs Chicago/1 vs New Hampshire

6/15
ALK 6 COL 4 (10)
W-Wheeler (3-2) L-Holt (3-1) S-Casas (5)
HR ALK-Gomez (7) AZ-Lynch (15) Moreno (12) Gomez (20)
Carlos Hernandez goes up against former ace Raul Rubio and goes 7-5-2-2-4-3 and strikes out Alex Moreno, the 1st IBL hitter he ever faces. Michael Wheeler coughs up a game tying solo homer to Moreno in the 9th, blowing his 6th save. That was after a Carlos Gomez PH homer in the top half tied it. Pete Merritt went 3-5 with a triple (2) and 2 RBI's (19) and Ash Carter drove in 2 in the 10th (17) to win it. Rubio went 8-5-2-2-1-6.

INJURY NEWS-Dirk McBryde got hurt in a collision on the bases. He'll head to the DL for what we hope is no more than 15 days. 3B Jason Kelley will be recalled.

6/16
ALK 8 COL 3
W-Solis (7-4) L-Miller (9-4)
HR ALK-Harrell (12)
Solis goes 6.2-5-1-1-1-2 before the offense busts open a 3-1 game with a 4 run 8th with the big blow being a bases loaded Gomez double (4). Harvey (12) Garcia (27) and Ledezma (6) stole bases.

6/17
Off Day

6/18
Stan Hall goes up against his former club, and we're going to see just how well we match up with the games best.
ALK 5 CHI 4
W-Hall (9-2) L-Davenport (7-4) S-Wheeler (19)
HR ALK-Olson (7) Merritt (3)
Hall battles through a 7-9-4-4-2-7 with help from Alexander (6) and Valdez (16) to get to Wheeler who gets the final 4 outs. Pete Merritt goes 2-4 with a 2B (11) homer and 3 RBI's (22) and Enrique Garcia goes 3-3 with a double (8). Jeffrey Hudson goes 3-4 with 2 RBI's (56) in the loss.

6/19
ALK 7 CHI 2
W-Drake (7-2) L-Trujillo (4-6)
HR NONE
Drake holds the Chicago offense in check until the offense drops a 6 run 6th on Trujillo. David Ledezma goes 3-5 with 2 doubles (20) and 2 RBI's (32) and Pete Merritt drives in 2 (24). Drake ends up going 6-5-2-2-3-3 on 110 pitches.

6/20
CHI 12 ALK 2
W-Acosta (9-3) L-C.Durham (8-6)
HR CHI-Chavez (25) ALK-Kelley (1)
Luis Acosta goes 7.1-5-2-2-1-5 and is backed by 20 hits of offense as Colin Durham gets pounded for 8 earned in 3.2 innings on 10 hits and 2 walks. Asmin Swagat goes 4-5 with a double (24) and scores 3 times, Pedro Villareal goes 3-5 with a double (10) while scoring 4 times and driving in 2 (50) and Luis Chavez goes 4-4 with a homer and 5 RBI's (83). Ramon Castro was 1-5 with an RBI, his 105th of the season.

6/21
ALK 5 NH 3
W-Hernandez (1-0) L-Hansen (4-3) S-Wheeler (20)
HR NH-Brady (8) Bond (5) ALK-Harrell 2 (14)
Carlos Hernandez battled his butt off, getting some big outs and a huge DP, but still entered the 8th trailing 4-3. Bob Harrells 2nd homer of the day, a 2 run shot, gave him his 1st IBL win after Mike Wheeler got a huge DP on a botched sacrifice with 2 on none out in the 9th. Hernandez went 8-7-3-3-2-6 on 120 pitches. Juan Ramos went 7.1-5-3-3-2-5 in the ND. Harrell was 4-4, scoring twice and knocking in 4 (37) and Tim Harvey was 2-4, scoring 2.

DRAFT NEWS-Top pick Tony Bates has signed and reported to Fairbanks.

WEEK 12 SUMMARY
FL POTW-Allen Hunter (WMI) 9-21 5 HR's 11 RBI's (.291-19-59)
CL POTW-Nawaf Ma'n (TUL) 11-25 3 HR's 8 RBI's (.326-9-22)

IBL CAREER LEADER: HITS
2637 Curt Whimster (PIT)
2358 Gerald Wright (FA) We've actually made a lowball offer to him for the season's 2nd half....
2192 Rich Stone (BAL)
2139 Luis Chavez (CHI)
2133 Jeffrey Hudson (CHI)

WEEK 12 POWER RANKINGS
1) Chicago (1)
2) Alaska (2)
3) Corpus Christi (4)
4) Fresno (6)
5) San Antonio (-)
OUT Pittsburgh (6) Philadelphia (16) Philly went 1-5, Pittsburgh 4-2 to move the Bulldogs 5 up in the Keystone.

MINORS NEWS-Top P prospect Harris Boucher has gone 15.2 IP in 2 starts since being recalled to AA after an early season bombing that led to a trip back to A ball. He's given up 10 hits 1 earned run while walking 4 and striking out 15 to lower his ERA from 6.92 to 5.10.

NEWS/NOTES
Staten Island inks newly acquired Bernardo Montoya to a 2 year extension.
Columbus signs Gomez to a 4 year deal. He's a career .327/.341/.548 hitter with 198 2B's 148 HR's and 966 hits in 730 career games since he was signed out of the Dominican in 2017.

Providence unloads Hamilton for a metric crap ton of younger pitching. Not sure of Boston's motive as Hamilton is a free agent at years end. If they're signing him ok, if not they're 11 out and I don't see this move getting them over the top?

The Edwards injury is a big deal with them just 1.5 up on Dallas, and possibly a HUGE deal as Michael Moran is hurt as well, and they are waiting on word of how bad.

[gehrig38]

Some amazing offensive seasons taking place...

LEAGUE RECORDS THROUGH 81 GAMES (bold are records set this year)
AVG-.424 Louis Ginger (WMI) '25
HR-35 Tony Greene (DAY) '21
RBI- 118 Ramon Castro (CHI) '26 OLD RECORD 89 Horst Grueter (CHI)
SB-43 Jimmy Rollins (PHI) '20 Isaac Darch (GB) '26
W- 13 Ken Lee (CHI) '16
Saves- 33 Michael Ross (HOU) '13
K- 172 Esteban Figueroa (SAC) '23
ERA- 1.75 Ernie Kelly (DAY) '12 '13
BEST RECORD- 62-19 .765 Chicago Iron Pigs '24 OLD RECORD 60-21 .741 Chicago Iron Pigs '18 Columbus Clippers '20

[gehrig38]

At the halfway mark...

Pitching wise I couldn't be happier. The staff is awesome, top to bottom. Nothing insane to make me feel like there's luck involved. Wheeler's starting to both me, a 75% save rate won't cut it and Casas is just dominating, but he has issues, or had them, getting 9th inning outs.



David Peterson is killing me, literally. I can't find any takers, and I would give him away if I could. Edwards, Harrell, Olson and Kelley are the guys I definitely expect to be a part of this when I finish putting this offense together.

[gehrig38]

2026 WEEK 13
RECORD: 5-2
OVERALL: 56-25 +17.5
RUNS SCORED: 404 (30) 10th
RUNS AGAINST: 302 (17) 1st
OWNER/FANS: Very Happy 80/100
SCHEDULE: 2 vs New Hampshire/4 vs Edmonton/1 vs Arizona

6/22
ALK 9 NH 2
W-Solis (8-4) L-Pena (2-7)
HR NH-Dominguez (10) ALK-Olson (8) Harrell (15)
Jesus Solis tosses 8.1 dominating innings, punching out 11 to just 3 hits on 122 pitches. David Ledezma goes 3-4 with a double (22) and scores twice and David Peterson goes 2-4 with a double (13) triple (2) and 2 RBI's (24). Vicete Dominguez gos 3-4 with a homer and 2 RBI's (40) in the loss.

6/23
NH 2 ALK 1
W-Wright (3-6) L-Hall (9-3) S-Quintero (23)
HR NH-Darcy (2) Barrera (3) ALK-Vargas (6)
2 solo homers, one leading off, the other in the 7th cost Stan Hall a win, even though he went the distance and allowed just 5 hits (9-5-2-2-1-8). Up and coming SP Russell Wright went 8-3-1-1-0-6 to move to 3-6 3.80 (and he threw just 72 pitches!)

6/24
EDM 4 ALK 3
W-Springer (4-7) L-Drake (7-3) S-Kelly (17)
HR EDM-Grueter 2 (16) Miranda (10) ALK-Kelley (2)
John Drake 6-8-2-2-1-5 threw well but Nick Springer was better going 7-7-0-0-3-3 for the win. Grueter was 3-4 with a double (16) 2 homers and 3 RBI's (59) Jason Kelley went 2-4 with a homer and 4 RBI's (5)

6/25
ALK 6 EDM 5 (14)
W-Casas (4-0) L-Espinoza (3-4)
HR EDM-Griffin (15) ALK-Merritt (4) Webb (6)
Wheeler blows his 7th save, allowing 2 runs on 4 hits but Wes Webb ties the game with a lead off solo shot in the 9th. Colin Durham went 6-8-3-3-2-6. Cisco Casas went 4-2-0-0-0-5 to get the win. Pete Merritt went 3-7 with a double (12) home run and 3 RBI's (29) Luis Gil went 3-6 in the loss.

6/26
ALK 5 EDM 2
W-Hernandez (2-0) L-Ray (4-5) S-Wheeler (21)
HR ALK-Olson (9) Peterson (1)
Carlos Hernandez carried a 2-hit shutout into the 9th before walking the bases loaded, Michael Wheeler came in and after surrendering a single got the final 2 outs. Hernandez went 8.1-2-2-2-5-6 on 129 pitches. Kevin Olson's 2 run homer in the 8th broke it open. He was 1-4 2 RBI's (29) and a stolen base (8) Tim Harvey was 2-4 with a double (7) and a stolen base (13)

6/27
ALK 3 EDM 1
W-Solis (9-4) L-Jones (7-6) S-Casas (6)
Jesus Solis went 7-3-0-0-1-8 and Wes Webb went 3-4 with a 2B (2) and Ash Carter and David Ledezma both went 2-5 with a run and RBI each.

6/28
ALK 3 AZ 1
W-S.Hall (10-3) L-B.Hall (6-6) S-Casas (7)
HR NONE
For the 5th time this year Stan Hall takes a shut out into the 9th. Leaving a runner on after a leadoff double he went 8-7-1-1-2-7 when Casas gave up the inherited runner. Ben Hall went the distance in an 8-9-3-2-2-2- CG loss.

WEEK 13 SUMMARY
FL POTW-Darren Gamble (BUF) 13-30 5 HR's 13 RBI's (.310-16-51)
CL POTW-Diogo Ameixieira (TUL) 13-23 4 HR's 13 RBI's (.411-21-71)

WEEK 13 POWER RANKINGS
1) Alaska (2)
2) Fresno (4)
3) Pittsburgh (6)
4) Michigan (-)
5) San Antonio (5)
OUT Chicago (6) Corpus Christi (9)

NEWS/NOTES
Love the deal with Chicago. I got younger with a prospect in Obispo and Vaughns versatility and being a switch hitter I like as well.

The injury to Edwards in San Antonio now becomes a much bigger deal as Michael Moran is diagnosed with an ab injury that will sideline him for 5 weeks as well.

Just the 2nd time in a 14+ year career Curt Whimster has gone on the DL. The Bulldogs are 4 games up on Philly, who's battling their own injury issues.

Rob Bright is having a hell of a year, another big strikeout game to take a commanding lead in the FL strikeout race.

Another major injury in San Antonio. Pujols lost for the year. Somehow they're still 2.5 up, but now you have Moran, Bing Kang, Edwards and Pujols all out for 3 or more weeks. Dudley Williams (.314-19-67) has to stay hot.

[gehrig38]

And I would bet Ramon Castro's RBI total is a 1 month record...

[gehrig38]

2012 Coastal 6 Frontier 5 W Hanna (FRE) (1-0) L Wells (EP) (0-1) S Suhayb (LV) (1) HR Tunstall (PIT) (1) Davis (EDM) (1) MVP Ross Tunstall (PIT)
2013 Coastal 9 Frontier 3 W Suhayb (LV) (1-0) L Mendez (EDM) (0-1) HR Whimster (TUL) (1) MVP Lando Jongmans (BAL)
2014 Frontier 10 Coastal 4 W Barlow (DAY) (1-0) L Holmes (COL) (0-1) HR Pitzi (SAC) 2 (2) Rosa (WMI) (1) Soto (LA) (1) Boyd (BAL) (1) Evans (CC) (1) Strong (COL) (1) MVP Vasco Pitzi (SAC)
2015 Frontier 8 Coastal 1 W Barlow (DAY) (2-0) L Medina (FRE) (0-1) HR NONE MVP Jean Chartier (CHI)
2016 Frontier 5 Coastal 4 W Potts (ALK) (1-0) L Gonzalez (LA) (0-1) HR Young (TUL) (1) Garza (FRE) (1) Moore (NY) (1) Villanueva (SI) (1) MVP Matthew Moore (NY)
2017 Frontier 7 Coastal 6 W Courtney (EDM) (1-0) L Gonzalez (LA) (0-2) S Cruz (CHI) (1) HR Chavez (CHI) (1) Helton (GB) (1) Riggs (CHI) (1) MVP Todd Helton (GB)
2018 Frontier 10 Coastal 4 W Copeland (PHI) (1-0) L Dejesus (COL) (0-1) HR Morgan (CHI) 2 (2) Hudson (COL) (1) MVP Wesley Morgan (CHI)
2019 Frontier 2 Coastal 1 W Cruz (CHI) (1-0) L Barlow (2-1) HR NONE MVP Scott Rolen (GB)
2020 Frontier 9 Coastal 3 W Gonzalez (NY) (1-2) L Figueroa (SAC) (1-0) HR Rolen (GB) (1) Quinn (PHI) (1) MVP Dean Strong (COL)
2021 Coastal 4 Frontier 3 W Artlano (FRE) (1-0) L Peters (EDM) HR Walker (GB) (1) MVP David Walker (GB)
2022 Frontier 4 Coastal 3 W Mason (MICH) (1-0) L Kelley (BOS) (0-1) S Cruz (CHI) (2) HR NONE MVP John Drake (WMI)
2023 Coastal 8 Frontier 7 (11) W White (DAL) (1-0) L Smith (EDM) (0-1) HR Chavez (CHI) (2) Glaus (NY) (1) Edwards (SAN) 2 (2) Carmona (LA) (1) Oginlara (SAC) (1) MVP Cliff Edwards (SAN)
2024 Frontier 1 Coastal 0 W-Douglas (BRO) (1-0) L-Walker (SJ) S-Cruz (CHI) (3) HR Alfred (BRO) (1) MVP Rich Alfred (BRO)
2025 Frontier 4 Coastal 1 W-J.Durham (ALK) (1-0) L-C.Bond (FRE) (0-1) S-Wheeler (ALK) (1) HR-Crowder (SI) MVP Benton Crowder (SI)
2026 Frontier 6 Coastal 2 W-J.Drake (ALK) (1-0) L-C.Pennington (0-1) HR Chavez (CHI) (3) Ginger (WMI) (1) Maldonado (HOU) (1) MVP Luis Chavez (CHI)



ALL STAR HISTORY
MVPS-Chicago 3, Staten Island 1, Brooklyn 1, San Antonio 1, West Michigan 1, Green Bay 3, Columbus 1, New York 1, Sacramento 1, Baltimore 1, Pittsburgh 1
HR LEADER- Luis Chavez (3)
Wins Leader- Bill Barlow 2-0
Saves Leader- Ernesto Cruz (3)
Frontier league leads 11-4

[gehrig38]

2026 WEEK 14
RECORD: 2-1
OVERALL: 58-26 +18.5
RUNS SCORED: 424 (20) 10th
RUNS AGAINST: 313 (11) 1st
OWNER/FANS: Delighted 81/100 (+1)
SCHEDULE: 3 vs Arizona/All Star Break

6/29
ALK 6 AZ 1
W-Drake (8-3) L-Watt (1-3)
HR ALK-Vargas (7) Webb (7)
Drake labors through 6 shutout innings and the offense jumps on Barney Watt in a 4 run 5th. Newly acquired Kevin Vaughn goes 4-4 and Webb and Vargas both go 2-4 and homer, Webb driving in 2 (16) Vargas 1 (17).

ROSTER NEWS-Dirk McBryde and Manuel Rodriguez are both due off the DL today, creating issues. Kevin Olson is the only OF with options remaining and he's not going anywhere, Tim Harvey was rule 5'd so has to stay, and none of the others I can send down without waivers. It's the final day before the deadline so I am going to have to make some moves. First I'll send 3B Jason Kelley out, and to hold off making any more moves I'll send McBryde out on a rehab. I can't get anything meaningful in the way of trade offers for Vargas or Peterson and Vargas has killed LHP.

6/30
AZ 7 ALK 6 (10)
W-Castle (5-0) L-Valdes (1-1)
HR AZ-Hernandez (5) Reeves (15)
Neither starter gets past 4. Both pens clutch up but an unearned run is the deciding factor. Tom Wallace was 4-5 with 2 doubles (9) and drove in 3 (19) and Pedro Lozano went 3-4 and scored twice in the win. David Ledezma went 4-5 with 2 doubles (26) and scored two and drove in 2 (37)

7/1
ALK 8 AZ 3
W-Hernandez (3-0) L-A.Davis (3-6)
HR ALK-Harrell (16) Vaughn (5) Merritt (5)
Casas enters in the 7th, bases loaded 1 out and gives up just 1 to hold the lead and win the game. Hernandez threw well again, working out of some big time early trouble to go 6.1-5-3-2-4-8 on 106 pitches. Pete Merrit drove in 3 (32) with his homer and Kevin Vaughn went 2-4 with a homer while scoring twice and knocking in 2 (36). Mike Wood was 3-5 with a single, double (16) and a triple (3) in the loss.

7-2/5
All Star Break

WEEK 14 SUMMARY
FL POTW-Jeffrey Hudson (CHI) 6-14 3 HR's 9 RBI's (.347-23-71)
CL POTW-Manuel Samudid (HOU) 8-16 HR 5 RBI's (.289-9-55)

WEEK 14 POWER RANKINGS
1) Alaska (1)
2) Fresno (2)
3) Chicago (6)
4) Dallas (-)
5) El Paso (-)
OUT Pittsburgh (7) Michigan (6) San Antonio (13)
Dallas swept San Antonio in a 4 game pre all star break series to go from 3.5 back to .5 game up, outscoring them 32-19. The gaps in the Silver Star offense are starting to show.

NEWS/NOTES
Interesting move by Dallas.

Michigan bolsters their rotation with Ibarra on a cheap 3 month contract. They're 13th in SP ERA. At the break they are 2 games up on New Hampshire.

Houston with a pair of deals as West Michigan tries to keep up with the Wolverines. Warren is a huge power bat, likely getting a big arbitration raise, but Houston gets Corunha, a very good catcher entering his prime.

Brooklyn gets Henley to start vs LHP (they're 11-11 vs LH SP) but has to give up a big time power bat in 21 year old Rodriguez. Interesting to see two teams in the same division deal.

[gehrig38]

A peek at the Colts and their trades this year, as they once again try to build a contender.

They've dealt:
28 year old 3B Art Burch
35 year old MR Dave Givens
29 year old 1B Roberto Sanchez
28 year old 3B Jeffrey Gibson
32 year old OF Rafael Salgardo

and minor leaguers
C Billy Shaw
1B Chris James (#2 overall prospect)

And received:
29 year old IF Cary Wallace
32 year old 3B Juan Garcia
30 year old IF Xavier Castillo
34 year old RP Zach Hurt

And minor leaguers
22 year old RP Arturo Solis
22 year old C Sean Potter
21 year old SP Luis Arevalo (#60 prospect)

[gehrig38]

2026 WEEK 15
RECORD: 5-1
OVERALL: 63-27 +21.5
RUNS SCORED: 460 (36) 10th
RUNS AGAINST: 342 (29) 1st
OWNER/FANS: Delighted 78/100 (-3)
SCHEDULE: 4 @ Hawaii/2 @ Edmonton

7/6
Off Day

7/7
ALK 8 HAW 4 (12)
W-Wheeler (4-2) L-B.Jones (2-4)
HR ALK-Rodriguez (2) HAW-Harris (20) Sandoval (15)
Antonio Sandoval's solo HR in the 8th off Stan Hall tied it up and Wheeler and Sheppard went the last 4-2-0-0-0-2 for the win. Hall went 8-8-4-3-0-8 and Vincent Castillo went 8-10-4-4-1-11. David Ledezma was 3-6 with 2 doubles (28) and scored two and drove in 2 (39) and Mauro Rodriguez went 2-6 with a homer and 4 RBI's (17). Galimberto Riario was 3-5 with 2 doubles (16) in the loss.

MILETSONE-Vincene Romero becomes the leagues first 200 game winner.



7/8
ALK 4 HAW 3 (10)
W-J.Durham (2-0) L-T.Gonzalez (0-6) S-Casas (8)
HR ALK-Harrell (17) HAW-Soriano (11)
Alfonso Soriano's 3 run homer in the 4th was Hawaii's entire offense as John Drake went 8-3-3-3-1-6 for a ND as the Alaska offense stranded 13. David Ledezma was 4-5

STUFF-I've quietly moved Wheeler and Casas roles, putting Cisco in as the closer, and moving Wheeler into the setup/backup closer role. Michael is apparently ok with it now, we'll see.



7/9
ALK 7 HAW 6 (12)
W-Wheeler (5-2) L-Stone (0-1) S-Casas (9)
HR HAW-Harris (21) Sandoval (16)
Colin Durham leaves after Harris' 7th inning homer and Ron Alexander proceeds to cough up a lead to force our 3rd straight extra inning game. Josh Harvey went 8-8-4-4-2-4 and was in line for the win until David Ledezma's 9th inning double (29) tied It. Tim Harvey was 3-5 with 2 doubles (9) and a stolen base (15) and scored twice. Ledezma, Merritt and Rodriguez all went 2-5. Antonio Sandoval was 4-7 with a homer and 4 RBI's (39)

MILESTONE-Christian Schall joins an exclusive club



400 Homer runs, by age
Luis Chavez 5/31/26 (31 years 191 days)
Jeffrey Hudson 4/17/26 (33 years 111 days)
Curt Whimster 9/24/21 (33 years 122 days)
Christian Schall 7/9/26 (34 years 190 days)
Hugh Collins 7/14/24 (34 years 317 days)
Wes Morgan 5/25/24 (35 years 120 days)
Jamie Vance 7/21/25 (35 years 176 days)
Travis Bryant 5/22/22 (37 years 80 days)

TRADES ABOUND-In a pair of deals I've gotten younger, and I think better. I sent Wes Webb and a bevy of AAA players too old to help me here, to Buffalo for 26 year old Mike Walton, a disgruntled DH not getting AB's, and we swapped 1st rounders. Walton is absolutely the type of bat I am looking for, younger than Webb and cheaper. That move was actually motivated by the extension of a 4 year offer to 25 year old Dave Adams, a RHH SS/3B who is an outstanding fit. He's not a popular guy, which explains him still adrift, but for 3.2M over 4 years he's a great fit. Top tier defender, big speed and a very good RH bat. In the meantime I've had to call Jason Kelley back up to play some 3rd. Dirk McBryde is still in AAA on a rehab, though likely ready to call up. I need space, and if I can find a taker for him I'll deal him before. The Peterson trade was made to move him, period. I saved money which was a bonus, but I need room, and he's not in the plans moving forward.
(To be honest Baltimore made me a bigger offer but I couldn't do it, they stink, and have ZERO need for Peterson and were offering me a good player in return, felt like cheating)

7/10
ALK 6 HAW 1
W-Hernandez (4-0) L-Butler (5-7)
HR ALK-Merritt (6)
Carlos Hernandez pitched through some bumps but ultimately dominated in going 7-3-1-1-4-6 on 100 pitches. Pete Merritt was 3-5 with a homer and 2 RBI's (36) and Alberto Vargas continued to hammer lefties, going 3-5 with a double (7).

NEWS-Signed 16 year old Catcher Manual Castro to a 200K signing bonus. Our guys have his power at 21 on the 1-20 scale, with an 18 eye.

7/11
EDM 15 ALK 3
W-Springer (6-7) L-Solis (9-5)
HR ALK-Kelley (3) EDM-Grueter 2 (22)
3 errors lead to 7 unearned runs and a butt whipping. Nick Springer goes 8-7-3-3-2-8 and gets 15 runs on 19 hits of support. Jesus Cruz was 3-5 with 2 RBI's (34) Michael Griffin went 3-6 and scored 3 times and Horst Grueter went 3-5 with a 2B (19) 2 homers and 5 RBI's (76). Bob Harrell went 3-4 with 2 doubles (15) in the loss.

GREAT GAMES-Really?



7/12
ALK 8 EDM 0
W-Hall (11-3) L-I.Martinez (6-9)
HR ALK-Merritt (7) Rodriguez (3)
Stan Hall continues his amazing year, tossing his 2nd 4-hitter and 3rd shutout of the year striking out a season high 13 and lowering his league leading ERA to 2.29. Ledezma went 3-5 with 2 doubles (31) and Manuel Rodriguez homered and drove in 3 (23) while newcomer Mike Walton went 3-5 with a double (22) and 2 RBI's (43).

WEEK 15 SUMMARY
FL POTW-Pedro Debesa (WMI) 10-23 6 HR's 10 RBI's (.296-22-64)
CL POTW-Juan Vazquez (TUL) 13-22 2 HR's 5 RBI's (.319-11-51)

NEWS/NOTES
Tulsa making a pair of deals and sending a pair of prospects the other way. Shimizu was brought in to shore up the Coastal Leagues 16th ranked bullpen. They went after Gibson to play some 1B vs LHP. They're 4-11 vs LH starters.

[gehrig38]

2026 WEEK 16
RECORD: 4-2
OVERALL: 67-29 +23
RUNS SCORED: 497 (37) 8th
RUNS AGAINST: 370 (28) 1st
OWNER/FANS: Delighted 78/100
SCHEDULE: 2 @ Edmonton/Off Day/3 vs West Michigan/1 vs San Jose

7/13
ALK 3 EDM 2 (11)
W-Wheeler (6-2) L-Espinoza (3-5) S-Casas (10)
HR EDM-Griffin (16)
John Drake threw 8 excellent innings (8-4-2-2-0-8) his only blemish being Michael Griffins 2 run homer following a HBP. Angel Vargas run scoring double (8) in the 8th tied it and Manuel Rodriguez scored on Espinoza's 11th inning wild pitch.



NEWS-This was a great deal for both sides. Outstandingly club friendly and it's well under his arbitration estimate for next year. Ibarbia also comes off the DL today, and Kelley is sent back to Eagan.

7/14
EDM 4 ALK 1
W-Ray (5-6) L-C.Durham (8-7) S-Kelly (19)
HR ALK-Ledezma (3) EDM-Knox (6)
Durham intentionally walked Horst Grueter 4 times, and 3 of the times it worked, with 2 outs in the 6th George Knox followed the walk with a 3 run homer for the game winner. Ray and Kelly combined on a 4-hitter.

7/15
Off Day

7/16
ALK 7 WMI 6
W-Hernandez (5-0) L-J.Martinez (4-1) S-Casas (11)
HR WMI-Debesa (9) ALK-Harrell (18) Rodriguez (4) Ledezma (4)
Hernandez had his first real bad one, giving up 5 in a nightmare 1st. But he held, going 6-7-6-6-4-4 and John Durham (14) got the ball to Casas for the final 3 outs. The offense pecked away from 5-2 to 5-4 from 6-4 to 6-5 before David Ledezma's 6th inning 2 run homer proved to be the game winner. Pete Merritt went 3-4 with a 2B (15) and Rodriguez (25) and Harrell (48) both drove in 2 with homers.

7/17
ALK 10 WMI 6
W-Solis (10-5) L-Vargas (6-7) S-Casas (12)
HR WMI-Flores (20) ALK-Edwrads (11) Harrell (19) Rodriguez (5) Merritt 2 (9)
Solis continues to benefit from big time run support (career high 4.61 RPG) as he goes 5-3-3-2-5-5 on 98 pitches and Sheppard Alexander and Casas close it out, Cisco having to come in and clean up Alexanders mess. Kevin Olson went 3-4 with 2 triples (4) scoring 3 times and Garcia drove in 4 (30).

TRADE NEWS-Alaska has sent 5 players, including 1B Ash Carter, OF Dirk McBryde and P prospect Will Allison along with AAA P Ionakana Kilikikopa and OF Brian Davis to New Orleans for 3 players. The teams also swapped 1st round draft picks.



THOUGHTS-Two things here. 1 was the news the IF Dave Adams had agreed to a 4 year 3.2M dollar free agent deal, giving me a RH infield bat that could play SS, 2B and 3B, and the 2nd was the pick. New Orleans likely will pick in the top 4, right now the pick is the 1st overall. I need a HUGE impact bat, and this was the only possible way to get in position to get one. None of the players coming back to me are IBL talent, they'll help fill out AAA rosters. McBryde might end up being better, but he was having an atrocious year and is a LHH outfielder, of which there's never a shortage of.

7/18
ALK 15 WMI 8
W-Hall (12-3) L-Valentin (5-6)
HR WMI-Walters (13) Warren (27) ALK-Ledezma (5)
Hall struggles for the 1st time in months (6-9-5-4-2-4) but the offense racks up 15 runs on 23 hits led by Tim Harvey, leading off and going 5-5 with 4 singles, a triple (3) 3 stolen bases (19) and scoring a club and league record tying 5 runs. Manuel Rodriguez went 4-6 with a triple (3), scored 3 times and drove in 2 (45). Mike Walton went 3-5 and drove in 2 (45) and Carlos Gomez snapped a cold streak with 4 hits including a double (6) and 2 RBI's (20). David Ledezma was 2-5 with 2 runs and 2 RBI's (46).

NEWS-HA! Really? Twice in two weeks I've traded a player who's then had a monster day.



7/19
SJ 2 ALK 1
W-Sabathia (5-11) L-Drake (8-4) S-Mathis (17)
HR NONE
Leonard Mathis gets the final out on a swing and a miss and goes down to the ground with an apparent arm injury. Drake pitched well over a 6-5-2-2-2-8 outing but the offense couldn't solve CC (6.2-7-1-1-2-6). Michael Miller went 3-4 with a double (3).

NEWS-Check out this kid, he hit 3 homers yesterday in a game for AAA Oakland, but look at his 2025 season. He was the 11th pick overall in 2023 out of West Valley College.

WEEK 16 SUMMARY
FL POTW-Jesus Reyes (MICH) 11-28 4 HR's 10 RBI's (.301-22-61)
CL POTW-Jose Sandoval (BOS) 13-29 3 HR's 12 RBI's (.256-11-48)

WEEK POWER 16 RANKINGS
1) Alaska
2) Buffalo
3) El Paso
4) Philadelphia
5) Chicago

MINORS
AAA Eagan (8) 59-41 +1 1st AVG/SB 2nd Runs against/SP ERA/BP ERA 4th Runs/OBP/Def Eff 5th HR
AA Kodiak (5) 63-37 +1 1st Runs against/SP ERA 3rd AVG/HR/BP ERA/Def Eff 5th Runs
A Spokane (11) 53-47 +3 2nd Def Eff 3rd SB 4th AVG
A Yakima (24) 43-57 16 GB 4th SB
SS Juneau (6) 17-8 +1 1st SB 2nd SP ERA 3rd Runs 4th Runs against 5th AVG/Def Eff
R Fairbanks (31) 10-16 5 GB 1st SB

NEWS/NOTES
Wow, that's a HUGE deal between Boston and West Michigan. Boston, though 8 out, has entered “rebuild' mode and I assume Miller could not be convinced to sign an extension prior to hitting free agency this winter. They took on a bigger contract, Jongmans is owed 12.9 next year, the last year, of his deal.
Keith Hansen, acquired from New Orleans, will miss the next 13 months after undergoing TJ surgery.

[gehrig38]

.

[gehrig38]

2026 WEEK 17
RECORD: 6-1
OVERALL: 73-30 +26
RUNS SCORED: 548 (51) 7th (new weekly high)
RUNS AGAINST: 386 (16) 1st (by far best run differential of any week
OWNER/FANS: Ecstatic 78/100
SCHEDULE: 2 vs San Jose/3 @ Fresno/2 vs Arizona

7/20
ALK 17 SJ 4
W-C.Durham (9-7) L-Baker (2-10)
HR ALK-Olson (10) Harrell 2 (21)
Colin Durham went 7-8-4-4-0-8 and got 17 runs and 18 hits of support led by Bob Harrells 3-4 2 home run day that included his 17th double, a grand slam and 7 RBI's (56) and also scored 4 times. Angel Vargas went 3-4 with 3 RBI's (23) after coming in for an injured Pete Merritt in the 1st. Kevin Olson went 3-5 with a double, homer and 3 RBI's (36).

NEWS-Merritt will miss a week with a jammed shoulder and I'll see if I can work around him going on the DL.

7/21
ALK 2 SJ 1
W-Hernandez (6-0) L-Adams (2-8) S-Casas (13)
HR ALK-Edwards (12)
Carlos Hernandez remains unbeaten after going 7.1-7-1-1-1-8 and getting huge outs from John Durham (15) and the final 3 from Casas. Matt Edwards leadoff homer in the 7th was the game winner. Todd Lewis went 3-4 with the Sharks lone RBI in the loss. John Adams took the loss despite 7 solid innings (7-6-2-2-2-6)

7/22
ALK 6 FRE 2
W-Solis (11-5) L-Palacios (3-9)
HR ALK-Olson (11) Ibarbia (12) FRE-Phillips (18)
Jesus Solis goes 8.1-5-2-2-2-6 before tiring and the offense gets a 3-4 day from Kevin Olson. He doubled (15) and scored twice, drove in 2 (38) and stole a base (10).

INJURY NEWS-David Ledezma will miss 5-6 weeks with a strained oblique. 3B Jason Kelley will be recalled.

7/23
ALK 6 FRE 1
W-Hall (13-3) L-Valentin (5-5)
HR ALK-Walton (8)
Stan Hall goes 7-6-1-1-3-7 to win his 13th and lower his league leading ERA to 2.38. Rafael Valentin gets beat in a 7-5-4-3-4-7 outing. Bob Harrell went 2-4 with a double (18) and 3 RBI's (59) and Matt Edwards was 0-1 with 3 walks and a run, as well as stealing his 1st base. Jesus Coronado was 3-3 in the loss.

7/24
FRE 4 ALK 3
W-Kawai (4-1) L-Drake (8-5) S-R.Cruz (23)
HR ALK-Garcia (2) FRE-Bond (13) Phillips (19)
A 7th inning Ibarbia error allowed the winning run to cross after John Drake had gone 6-6-4-3-1-7 and Valdes had come in to get the LHH. Travis Wright went 5.2-6-3-3-4-9 on 118 pitches for a ND. Enrique Garcia went 2-4 with his 2nd homer and 3 RBI's (34) in the loss. Andre Blakeway was 3-4 with a double (15) in the win.

7/25
ALK 6 AZ 0
W-C.Durham (10-7) L-Meklau (3-5)
HR ALK-Vaughn (6)
Colin Durham (8-8-0-0-0-2) and Freddy Valdez (1-0-0-0-0-1) combined on an 8-hitter, with Valdes coming on with 2 on none out in the 9th and getting a game ending double play after a K. Kevin Vaughns 3 run homer in the 8th busted it open. Tim Harvey stole his 23rd base.

7/26
ALK 11 AZ 4
W-Hernandez (7-0) L-Hayes (5-12) S-Alexander (1)
HR AZ-Schall (16) Peterson (7) ALK-Harrell (22)
No idea how he did it, but Carlos Hernandez worked around 6 innings of trouble to go 6-6-3-3-4-5 and Ron Alexander went 3-2-1-1-0-4 for the save. Harvey, Harrell, Walton, Olson, Vaughn and Garcia had 2 hit days. Rodriguez and Harrell scored twice each, Walton 3 times and Harrell (61) Walton (50) Olson (41) Vaughn (43) and Garcia (36) each drove in 2. Harvey (24) Garcia (31) and Ibarbia (16) stole a base.

WEEK 17 SUMMARY
FL POTW-Alfredo Ortiz (AZ) 16-29 2 HR's 7 RBI's (.297-8-36)
CL POTW-Pedro Dejesus (LA) 12-28 5 HR's 9 RBI's (.289-29-60)


IBL ROOKIE LEADERS: WINS
12 T.J. Miller (EP) 2022 4th round pick (122nd) out of East Bay Waldorf HS, CA
9 Chris Keen (HOU) 2024 1st round pick (9th) out of U. of Pacific (Superstar in the making. I was debating whether or not to pick him when I was with Chicago, with the 4th overall pick, I eventually took Carlos Hernandez)
8 Gerald Buckley (ALK) 2020 2nd round pick (49th) out of Freedom HS, Bethlehem by Houston
8 Hoo-Gwo Yang (TUL) 2023 1st round pick (10th) out of Georgia Tech
7 Juan Jose Gamboa (LV) 2024 1st round pick (12th) out of New Mexico State

WEEK 17 POWER RANKINGS
1) Alaska (1)
2) Chicago (5)
3) Dallas (-)
4) El Paso (3)
5) Pittsburgh (-)
OUT Buffalo (8) Philadelphia (9)

MINORS
AAA Eagan (5 +3) 62-44 t-1st (with Tulsa) 1st AVG/SB 2nd Runs against/SP ERA 3rd BP ERA 4th Runs/OBP/Def
AA Kodiak (7 -2) 64-42 t-1st 1st Runs against 2nd BP ERA 3rd AVG/SP ERA/HR 4th Def
A Spokane (18 -7) 53-53 +9 2nd Def 4th SB
A Yakima (27 -3) 45-61 16 GB 4th SB
SS Juneau (11 -5) 19-13 t-1st 2nd SB 4th SP ERA 5th Runs/AVG
R Fairbanks (23 +8) 13-19 5 GB 1st SB

NEWS/NOTES
Cordero is an over achiever. I drafted him as my 1st pick (18th overall) in 2020 out of Bryant, thought he had huge upside but our guys fell off the bandwagon fast. He had a great September (.317-6-22 in 19 games) and I dealt him to Boston that winter for a P prospect. He hit 41 homers in 2024 in AAA and in 2025 he helped Boston to the World Series with a great year.

San Jose gets a hell of a young catcher for a fringy type outfielder in Mora who's having a nightmare season. Problem is the Clippers current CF and leadoff man David Allison is hitting .171/.209/.232. Mora will be the guy in CF vs LHP. Ynequez was a 4th rounder out of Cal, is an outstanding defender and in 162 career games has hit .266/.323/.392 with 5 HR's and 51 RBI's in 286 AB's.

Baltimore nets a very nice OF prospect in Santos, while the 1st place Bisons bolster their staff. Ward is a capable starter who was having an outstanding year in AAA. He hasn't been able to put it together at the next level as a starter though (6-17 6.08 in 2025, 40 games, 24 starts)

Old friend and former #1 pick for Chicago, Roberto Martinez had a good game in the midst of a very good year.

[gehrig38]

Not sure I've seen a rookie pitcher take home both. He's got to be a serious contender for Rookie of the Year at this point.



Castro's pace has slowed a bit, but he's still going to wreck the single season record. Luis Chavez has had a HoF career to this point and as hard as it is to believe he's having a career year now, at 31, and it's going completely under the radar.

Stan Hall has stamped his entry into the pitching triple crown race.

4 races that look good right now. Pittsburgh and Philly is going to be fun to watch, the two Keystone state teams, battling for the Keystone division.

How about San Antonio and Dallas, what was a very tight race has turned into a blowout, San Antonio just had too many injuries to overcome.

[cmdrsam]

Don't think I have seen a pitcher do it before but I just had a rookie take potw and potm honors as well. Still reading and following sir.