Where will Pablo Bermudez land in the 2012 MLB Draft? It is a mystery.

With the MLB draft looming large on June 4th — less than a month away! — it’s time to start getting together the draft lists. I’m fairly confident that the Mat-Su Miners will be the last team to release their roster for the 2012 ABL season, and therefor the last team roster which I will preview, so I’ll share the love a little bit and go over their draft list first.

Florida state outfielder James Ramsey (2009) is probably the most noteworthy Miners product in this year’s draft. Ramsey went undrafted out of high school but has really become an impact player after his solid offensive performance in Alaska. He’s gone on to tear it up in the Cape and establish himself as a highly-regarded draft prospect. It is a good probability that he’ll go on Day 1 of the draft. The first round is probably a stretch but the first supplemental or second round is not unlikely, and I’ll eat my hat if he slides past the first ten. His defense is the thing that’s holding him back from being a top-tier prospect; his draft position will be determined by how well a team rates his offensive upside against his limitations in the field.

Off the mound, I think Bradley senior Joe Bircher (2010) should be a relatively high pick. I’m guessing his ceiling is as high as the 4th or 5th round; definitely a day-two guy. He was one of the best pitchers for the Miners in 2010 and backed it up with a solid performance in the Cape last summer. Being a lefty doesn’t hurt him, either.

Another outfielder I want to see drafted is Florida International’s Pablo Bermudez (2010). I was a little astounded to see him go undrafted in 2011. Somehow he has just not got the love despite the fact that he’s perpetually on base, with line-drive power and decent speed. He will be drafted this year, I guarantee it, but considering his snub in last year’s draft it’s obvious that 30 MLB scouting organizations have their heads where the sun don’t shine when it comes to this guy (it’s obviously them, and not me), so your guess is as good as mine where he’ll go when.

Who are some of the deeper draft prospects? RPH Matt Applegate (2010, 11) of Kansas State will likely get picked up. Scott Arthur (2009, 10) is a talented player competing with a lot of other outfielders in his conference and his draft class. Stephen Branca (2011) was drafted in 2007 out of high school, as a Senior he’s likely to get picked again. SS Blake Newalu was just a young’n when he came up in 2009, but now he’s popping up as a mid-level draft prospect. Estevan Uriegas is another 2009 guy who is very draftable, as a left-handed pitching senior. Matt Wessinger (2010) is a hell of a ballplayer who was already drafted last year as a junior; he will undoubtedly get tabbed again.

That just scratches the surface of this list; I’m no pro scout, so we’ll have to wait until the real draft to see who gets picked where. But in the mean time, here is the full list, based on my research (additions to this list may occur; if you see any changes that need to be made, please let me know):

Last	First	ABL Season	Draft Yr.	School
Anderson	Mark	2011	Junior	Brigham Young
Applegate	Matt	2011	Senior	Kansas State
Arthur	Scott	2009, 10	Senior	Texas A&M
Benincasa	Blake	2010	Junior	Florida State
Bermudez	Pablo	2010	Senior	Florida Int'l
Bircher	Joe	2010	Senior	Bradley
Branca	Stephen	2011	Senior	Tenn. Wesleyan
Dennison	Neal	2011	Junior	Georgetown
Dieterich	Blake	2010	Junior	Georgia
Dull	Ryan	2011	Senior	UNC-Ashville
Fondon	RJ	2010	Senior	Florida Int'l
Ford	Ryan	2011	Junior	Middle Tenn.
Gerlach	Michael	2011	Junior	San Jose State
Gibson	David	2011	Senior	Bluefield
Guymon	Mason	2011	Senior	Carson-Newman
Hedrick	Brandon	2011	Senior	Union College
Hughes	John	2010	Junior	Santa Clara
Hulse	Conner	2009	Senior	Harvard
Jewasko	Kirk	2010	Senior	Incarnate Word
Johnson	Tyler	2009	Senior	Stony Brook
Jones	Wesley	2011	Senior	Milligan
Kneeland	Cam	2011	Senior	U-Mass Lowell
Lobban	Brendan	2011	Senior	St. John's
Lum	Kevin	2011	Senior	Oklahoma St.
Lyon	David	2010	Senior	Kent State
Newalu	Blake	2008	Senior	Ole Miss
Ozanne	Matt	2010	Junior	Santa Clara
Pippin	Quinn	2010	Junior	Tulane
Ramsey	James	2009	Senior	Florida State
Schwartz	Bret	2010	Senior	Central Missouri
Simon	Brock	2011	Junior	Santa Clara
Sitz	Scott	2010	Junior	Florida State
Smith	Gage	2010	Junior	Florida State
Uriegas	Estevan	2009	Senior	Texas A&M
Wessinger	Matt	2010	Senior	St. John's
Whitehead	Kevin	2010	Senior	Texas Tech

That being said, there are a lot of guys in the free agent and indy ball categories that need some updating, but I’m going to hold off on that because I don’t know where they are. Because the independent league seasons haven’t started yet, guys who played indy ball last year or were released from a minor league team recently may end up on an independent team yet. And, of course, the affiliated short-season leagues have yet to get going so Rookie and Short-A guys may not have their assignments. So there are still some players that will need to be re-evaluated in a month or so. At some point this summer I intend to have another full-fledged go at it, and probably throw out some people who have been on “free agent” status for a while.

One last point: you’ll notice that I’ve added a feature, the all-time ABL to MLB list. This is exactly what it sounds like, a table of players who have played in Major League Baseball after leaving the Alaska Baseball League. Of course this is a long, long list…and I’m not done. In fact, I have nearly 60 players added, and I am pretty sure I’ve barely scratched the surface! So hang with me as I update both of these lists.

On that note, if anyone wants to point out updates to current pro alumni or suggest some players to add to the MLB list, feel free to leave me a comment. Doing so will save me a lot of the leg work and help me keep these resources up-to-date between massive overhauls.

Of course, I’m writing this in May so the box says there’s no events today. But that’s where they will be when the time comes. If you click the link to the calendar and flip ahead to June, the entire league schedule is there. Right now I have all of the games with time and location and hope to add all the promotional info in shortly, as well as any non-game events that may be of interest to you.

With that said, I’ve obviously spent some time dissecting the entire league schedule, so I’d like to share some quick thoughts on what it looks like this year.

The schedule is about a week shorter this season than in years past. I don’t believe that there are significantly fewer games, but overall it seems more “dense”. Lots of doubleheaders, and the exhibition games aren’t strung out for two weeks in the beginning of June. Play starts on June 10th and continues until July 30th. For Bucs and Pilots fans, this mean’s no season-end tournament for the Mayor’s Cup. The cup is still there, it’s just to be decided in a three-game regular-season series. The fan in me wants to cry out, “but that’s one less week of baseball!!!” but I can think of a million reasons why this is probably better. The first few games are always kind of sketchy, trying to get a whole team on the field with all the chaos surrounding the end of the college season and semester. The last few games at the tail end of the season — at least for the teams not in contention — can be a little “blah”, too, with the weather starting to turn rainy, some guys leaving early, and some others honestly looking like they just can’t wait to get the hell out of here.

This year will feature one visiting team, the Everett Merchants from the state of Washington. The Merchants are more of a local summer league team, with most of their players coming from the Seattle/Puget Sound area or playing for colleges in the region. They are also a bit different in that they allow former professionals to play for them. The Merchants run in the same circles as ABL teams, as an NBC affiliate and participant in the Kamloops International tournament that the Panners played in last season. Of course I am anticipating that the ABL teams will rack up the wins against them but, nonetheless, they shall be a worthy adversary and make for a good ballgame.

The Midnight Sun Game falls in the middle of the week. I am still scheming my way to make it to this one. I think I’m going to come down with the flu that lasts approximately three days in the middle of June. I’m sure my boss will understand that I am very ill.

Other than that, looking at the schedule has just got me really fired up for this thing to get going. I’ve been picking out which significant games I want to make a point to go to, and which days I can maximize my baseball time. I’m dreaming up all kinds of bizarro schemes that involve driving all over the state to catch as many games as possible. If any oil company people are reading this, I will put a big ad for you on this website if you give me free gas for a summer. My carbon footprint is about to go up about a dozen shoe sizes. Polar ice caps are crying because of me.

What are your thoughts? What games and events have you excited for the upcoming season?

Post a comment below! Let’s get stoked for ABL in 2012!

2011 Buc Braden Shipley will return in 2012

It’s May, the snow has melted, and my finals week is over, which means it’s time to blow the dust off this bad boy and get back into baseball mode. The Anchorage Bucs have made it easy for me by releasing a full roster. Which means that it’s time to do a preview of the 2012 Bucs.

Obligatory caveat: this is a pre-season roster. It can and will change. Players will be scratched and added before and during the season. I will undoubtedly write about someone who never sets foot on Alaskan soil, and there may very well be someone noteworthy to be signed at some point in the future. Forewarned is forearmed, and forearms are useful. Here’s what you came here to read:

The passing of the torch to former Oilers GM Shawn Maltby marks a new era for the Bucs, who are under the leadership of a new GM for the first time since their founding way back when. I believe that this is evident by taking a glance at the 2012 team roster — released last week — which has very little carryover from last season’s club. The main exception is in the coaching staff: 2011 skipper Tony Cappuccilli of Irvine Valley College will be embarking upon his second voyage at the helm, with last year’s pitching coach Dan Ellis onboard as well. Cappuccilli will bring fellow Irvine Valley coach Cameron McMullen up to AK with him to man the assistant coach position, vacated by Ryan Hanson.

2012 Anchorage Bucs Pitching Staff

As of 5/3/2012 (subject to change)

RHP Bagley, Blake – RSFR, Texas St.
LHP Ferguson, Collin – FR, St. Mary’s
RHP Gold, Jeff – RSSO, Oregon
RHP Grist, Jacob – SO, Texas St.
LHP Holtmann, Bryant – FR, Florida St.
RHP Kela, Keone – FR, Everett CC
RHP Kichler, Tanner – FR, St. Mary’s
RHP Munro, Will – FR, Fresno St.
RHP Mundell, Garrett – FR, Fresno St.
RHP Piscotty, Nick – FR, Duke
RHP Rhame, Jacob – FR, Oklahoma
RHP Shipley, Braden* – SO, Nevada
RHP Theodore, Mike – RSSO, Michigan St.
RHP Williams, Austen – FR Texas St.

* denotes returning player

Regarding the players on the field, however, this is pretty much a clean slate, with a few exceptions. Braden Shipley is the only returning Anchorage Buc from 2011. He’s listed as a pitcher, but last season he played both ways. His work at the plate with the wood bat was not as good as his collegiate stats with the aluminum, so perhaps keeping him on the mound is best, but he could probably man any position on the diamond in a pinch. Shipley was on my list of “All-Star Snubs” last season so hopefully he can put up an even stronger performance this year and earn a spot.

Another familiar guy, although not a Buc but a former Oiler, is backstop Tanner Rust. Rust was selected to the 2011 ABL All-Star team and contributed greatly to the Oilers’ NBC tournament campaign with 5 RBI’s and a homer in post-season play. Rust is a two-sport player at Oklahoma, also playing Quarterback for the school’s football team.

If the team doesn’t (at the moment) feature any other familiar faces, it should feature one familiar name: Piscotty. No, the potential first-round draft pick Stephen Piscotty is not coming back up for a third season! But Maltby must hope to keep the magic alive by recruiting his brother, RHP Nick Piscotty, a Duke freshman. The younger Piscotty has a likely future in pro baseball as he was drafted by the Royals in the 32nd round out of high school last spring. Perfect Game ranked Piscotty a Top-1000 for 2011 prep graduates, noting his pitch breaking ball and approach to academics as plusses.

With the returners out of the way, let’s take a look at the rest of the field.

Tanner Rust will switch jerseys and play for the Bucs this year.

The pitching staff for the Bucs at this point looks young and very right-handed. There are definitely some good arms to be found on this squad, though. Blake Bagley is a power right-hander who can consistently top 9o mph with a lively fastball and spin a tight curve. The redshirt Texas State freshman logged 32.1 IP in the Hamptons League last year, striking out 33 with a 3.06 ERA for the Westhampton Aviators last season. Michigan State’s Mike Theodore also has a strong, if somewhat unproven arm. He was highly touted as a freshman sign to Tennessee, but didn’t see any playing time and sat out 2011 upon transferring to Michigan State. Now as a redshirt sophomore he’ll be looking to get some innings under his wing and prove himself.

Keone Kelamay have pro ball in his future; he was drafted by the Mariners last year as their 29th round pick out of high school. As a community college player the freshman rightie will be draft eligible again this spring. Kela was regarded as one of the best prep players of the Seattle area last year. St. Mary’s freshman Tanner Kichler was also taken in the 2011 draft, by the Cubbies in the 45th round.

Oregon southpaw Jeff Gold — one of the few lefties on the Bucs — has an extensive background in summer ball, performing well for the Cowlitz Black Bears of the esteemed West Coast League in 2010 and 2011. Last season in the WCL Gold brought home both All-Star and First Team All-League honors and set the league record with four complete-game starts. For his efforts he was ranked by Perfect Game as the #22 prospect in the league last year and will hope to improve his draft stock with another solid summer-ball campaign in Alaska.

2012 Anchorage Bucs Batters

As of 5/3/2012 (subject to change)

C/3B Rust, Tanner* – SO, N.M. State
C Wadsworth, Stephen – JR, Holy Cross
1B Compton, Chase – SO, LA Lafayette
1B Mathieu, Zach – SO, Franklin Pierce
2B Hipp, Parker – JR, N.M. State
2B/3B Holland, John – FR, Florida St.
2B/SS Roberts, Drake – FR, Oklahoma
SS Leonards, Ryan – SO, LA Lafayette
SS Mattlage, Garrett – FR, Texas St.
OF Brink, Jordan – FR, Fresno St.
OF Esquerra, Zach – RSSO, Cal Baptist
OF Kalfus, Brenden –  JR, St. Mary’s
OF Nogowski, John – FR, Florida St.
OF Susdorf, Danny – JR, UC San Diego

* 2011 Peninsula Oilers

This Bucs team will have some considerable talent on the infield dirt (or, more accurately, the brown-colored part of the turf) as well. New Mexico State junior two-bagger Parker Hipp has become a feared offensive threat in the WAC, drawing comparisons to former Pilot and uber-prospect Aaron Judge. In a recent College Baseball Insider coach’s poll, Hipp was rated the toughest strikeout in the conference and ranked as a “pure hitter” with good power. Garrett Mattlage should get some time on the other side of the bag; the switch-hitting Texas State freshman was picked by Kansas City in last year’s draft in the 35th round. Drake Roberts, the Oklahoma freshman, will be competing with both of them. Perfect Game rates him as a strong defensive player with all the skills to succeed on the middle infield, with physical dimension that belies his capable bat. Roberts was drafted by the Twins in the 49th round last season; if he can prove that he can handle the wood, he could be a legitimate prospect to watch.

Among the outfielders, John Nogowski stands out as a likely star to me. The Florida State freshman has a strong build for an underclassman and is highly touted as a solid contact hitter by PG. Brenden Kalfus – out of St Mary’s – is a guy who has proven summer-ball talent at the plate, hitting .314 with 22 RBIs for the top-ranked Bethesda Big Train of the Cal Ripken league last year, so look out for him. The junior will bring some experience to a young club.

All that being said and done, I have one remaining player I have to recognize, and I’m saving him for last because he is my new favorite: Danny Susdorf. I don’t mean to look down my nose at anyone else’s major, but whenever I see a player who has obviously chosen a field for academic/career reasons, rather than “well it’s something to do while I play baseball”, the fanboy in me rejoices. Well, here we have an outfielder who is majoring in Structural Engineering at UCSD. As a fellow engineering student — and one who is jamming refresh on keyboard every 30 seconds to see if I did well enough on my Structural Analysis final to squeak by with a C — I can tell you with confidence that no one gets to junior-level structural engineering classes just because the school made them declare a major. No one analyzes the sidesway in indeterminate frames because it sounds easy. Of course, that’s not to say that his talent isn’t worth being a fan of (did I mention that he hit .335 in the Northwoods League last season?). And I can try to argue that it is a testament to his mental makeup and all of that. But sometimes my fandom is irrational. I’m OK with that. This is one of those times. Anyway, engineers gotta stick together because everyone else hates us.

Back to baseball.

What’s my take on the team, overall? I have high expectations for this club on offense. They’ve got a lot of proven hitters, including ones who have done well with wood bats in the past. They have almost a 50/50 mix for left vs. right-handed batters, if you count their three switch-hitters as lefties. It’s also a good mix of experience, as well — assuming all the Juniors come up and don’t sign out of the draft. I’m a bit intrigued that they don’t have a dedicated third-baseman listed, but with an abundance of shortstops (you can never have too many shortstops!) and two-way pitchers, I am sure they can make it work. UPDATE: I’ve just been informed that Rust and John Holland will see time at third base. Mystery solved.

The pitching staff is the question mark. They’re young and largely unproven. They have some power arms and, overall, a lot of upside, but I’m reluctant at this point to make a prediction one way or another. But hey, that’s why they play the season on the field instead of letting bloggers hypothesize the summer away, right?

Of course, this is just an overview — there are many names I left out and certainly some capable players among them. Have I neglected any noteworthy players from my analysis? Am I just way off target? Let me know! The comments section is open for your input. Scroll down and take me down a peg.

2010/11 Glacier Pilot Clay Cederquist was selected at 1B for the All-WAC Preseason Team

The Western Athletic Conference recently released its Preseason All-Conference team, as decided by the coaches in the conference. Considering the heavy representation of Alaska Baseball League players in that league, and the ABL’s standing as one of the premier summer leagues in the nation, it’s no surprise to see the team peppered with former Alaska League players. The list is quoted below, with emphasis added for our boys:

Preseason Coaches All-WAC Teams

OF – Aaron Judge, So., Fresno State

OF – Breland Almadova, Jr., Hawai‘i

OF – Tanner Waite, So., New Mexico State

OF – Bryan Karraker, Sr., New Mexico State

1B – Clay Cederquist, Jr., Sacramento State

2B – Parker Hipp, Jr., New Mexico State

SS – Pi’ikea Kitamura, Jr., Hawai‘i

3B – Collin Bennett, Sr., Hawai‘i

C – Zac Fisher, Jr., New Mexico State

DH – Zack Jones, Jr., San Jose State

UTI- Mike Aldrete, Jr., San Jose State

SP – Matt Sisto, Sr., Hawai‘i

SP – Tyler Linehan, So., Fresno State

SP - Tom Jameson, Jr., Nevada

RP – Zack Jones, Jr., San Jose State

RP – Scott Coffman, Sr., New Mexico State

Player of the Year Zac Fisher, Jr., C, New Mexico State

Pitcher of the Year Zack Jones, Jr., San Jose State

All three players — Cederquist (2010, 2011), Judge (2011) and Linehan (2011) — are former Anchorage Glacier Pilots. Linehan was also named National Player of the Week last week by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper for his mastery over Butler on Friday. As a prep star he was drafted by the Mariners in 2010, and will be hoping for another selection this spring after his Junior season. The southpaw was ranked the #13 prospect by Perfect Game last season.

Clay Cederquist is another draft hopeful for 2012. He was selected as a late-round pick in 2009, also by the M’s, and has Junior standing after transferring to Sac State for the current collegiate season. The least experienced but perhaps the most highly touted is Aaron Judge, the #1-ranked prospect from the ABL in 2011. He will not be draft eligible until 2013 but the word from scouts is that he is already on the radar as a potential first-round pick.

49thStateHardball will continue monitoring the collegiate scene for news on ABL players, past, present and future!

The new site — CERChinooks.com — is online and looks pretty sharp. It’s a pretty good looking site and has a lot of potential, I think. So be sure to add that to your bookmarks if you’re the type (like me) who has to be all over the latest news from all the clubs in the league.

Andrew Work is slated to return for the Chinooks in 2012.

There’s a lot of info on the site but perhaps the most interesting right now is the roster. It’s a little sparse right now — about 15 men deep — and any roster released in February is likely to turn over a handful of players before June. But the club is bringing back a lot of AIA Fire guys from last year: JJ Turbin, Scott Kalamar, Tyler Shryock, and Andrew Work. And then there’s this old-timer — David Mitroff — who came up with the team in 2010 as a backstop, now listed as a pitcher. Also noteworthy is Drew Turbin; I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess it’s JJ’s little bro, and a freshman at Yavapai.

I’m getting pretty stoked about the upcoming season for this team, but if you need something else to get excited about, how about the price of admission? It’s free. But please keep in mind that this team is a nonprofit organization, just putting down roots in a new home, and trying to build a presence. If you want to support the team financially as well as morally you can buy a season ticket, which includes a reserved seat and a cool portable stadium chair, for just $150. Check out the website for details.

I know all the other teams have good stuff in the works, although they’re holding their cards a little closer to their chests at this point. We’ll keep an eye on their sites and report back with any big news. Baseball is just around the corner, ABL fans, so don’t panic.

Photo courtesy of AnchorageBucs.com

As you may know by now, Anchorage Bucs founder and long-time General Manager Dennis Mattingly passed away a week ago. A celebration of his life is planned for today, from 11a.m. until 4p.m., at Tudor Road Bingo. It will be a potluck-style get together.

I’ve already said my piece on Dennis but I’d just like to take one more opportunity to give my respects. I know that he was a scrappy and tough, but at the same time very generous man. Through what would be the last season of his life he was at the park, doing whatever needed to be done. A blue-collar guy who wasn’t above doing any job, even though he was “the boss”. I have a tremendous amount of respect for that, and I think he set an example that baseball needs sorely right now. Nearly 800 players graced the field under his tutelage, including some great ones like current superstar CJ Wilson and, one of my favorites, Jeff Kent.

But that’s enough out of me. If you would like to read more about the life of Dennis Mattingly, please check out some of the links I’ve collected below.

ADN: Beth Bragg article

ADN: Obituary

Alaska Sports with John Thompson: Video

The past two years I have written a sappy New Year’s post full of thank yous and all that jazz, but this year I think I’ll give you all what you come here for and stick with baseball. Let’s look ahead at the 2012 Alaska Baseball League season! I’ll give a brief rundown of where I think each team stands headed into the new year (though, of course, much could change in the next six months) and a “state of the blog” report. So let’s get to it!

Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks

The biggest news of the offseason so far has been the return of the Goldpanners to full league status after playing a truncated, non-league schedule in 2011. That right there is reason for Panner fans to celebrate. Last year’s team seemed to pack quite a bit of talent, so it will be interesting to see if they can put together another club as solid as the last, and how it will stack up against the full gauntlet of ABL opponents. It’s definitely good to have them back full-time and it’ll be exciting to see how their season comes together.

Anchorage Bucs

Change is the theme for the Bucs in 2012. Founder and long-time General Manager Dennis Mattingly has stepped aside due to health concerns, but the team seems to be in capable hands. Former Oilers GM Shawn Maltby is moving in to take over in Anchorage. Maltby has put together some really stellar teams in Kenai, including the league champion club last season which made a solid run at the NBC World Series title. The big question is whether or not he can recreate the magic in Anchorage and help the Bucs rebound from two consecutive sub-.500 seasons.

Anchorage Glacier Pilots

There hasn’t been a lot of ground-shaking news coming out of the Glacier Pilots camp this winter. But as they say, no news is good news, and that’s especially true around these parts. Despite putting together a talented team that included the likes of White Sox first-rounder Keenyn Walker in 2011, the Pilots fell just short of a .500 campaign, though they definitely improved upon their 2010 performance. They’ll keep quietly putting together a club which they hope can continue the upward trend.

Chugiak Eagle-River Chinooks

The rebirth of the AIA Fire as the Chugiak Eagle-River Chinooks is a huge story this off-season. After playing a “road warrior” schedule in 2011, the Chinooks have a new name, a new logo, a new ballpark, and a new town to call home. There has been an outpouring of support for the team which is putting down roots in this community. The big question: will this help propel the team toward ABL success in 2012? That remains to be seen, but it seems likely to give them a bit of a boost as they take the field in the coming season.

Mat-Su Miners

This was supposed to be a quiet off-season for the Miners, with no major projects to distract team GM Pete Christopher from putting together a ball club for 2012. But if there’s one thing to be said about Alaska, it’s that Mother Nature has a way of sabotaging even the best plans, and that’s exactly what she did when she unleashed hurricane-force winds upon the Mat-Su valley in November. In addition to patching up Hermon Brothers Field, the Miners will be tasked with putting together a team that lives up to fans’ high expectations and, fans hope, recapture the crown which the Oilers snatched from them after back-to-back championships.

Peninsula Oilers

Like the Bucs, change is the theme for the Oilers, and for the same reason. They were on the losing end of Shawn Maltby’s departure for Anchorage. In addition, they’ll be losing ABL Coach of the Year Dennis Machado, who departs with a 103-60 record in the Alaska League. However, the Oilers have had staff waiting in the wings to take over. James Clark, who has years of experience running nonprofit organizations, has assumed the role of GM, while John Stevens — who Machado credited with last year’s offensive surge as Oilers hitting coach — will take over as manager. This will be a great opportunity for Stevens to showcase his talent, and Oilers fans are hoping that he’s got enough of it to defend the ABL title.

49thStateHardball: State of the Blog

I’ve taken some time off from blogging this off-season. I’ve moved back to Alaska full time, I’m finishing my bachelor’s degree at UAA, and I’ve taken a new job. I’ve committed myself to excelling in those pursuits and, unfortunately, blogging has taken a backseat at times. Furthermore, I’m always on the lookout for good summer internships which may make it difficult or impossible to attend the games necessary to keep this thing going.

It would pain me greatly to have to give this blog up, but I’m not in a position to turn down a rewarding (financially and experience-wise) internship. If it comes down to being offered a job, for example, on the slope, I will probably have to accept. Fortunately there are a lot of opportunities for me in places like Anchorage, Kenai and Fairbanks, which I will be pursuing vigorously. Hopefully things will pan out so that I can continue to give you a solid season’s worth of coverage this summer and for years to come. And hopefully this spring semester will be calm enough that I can pick up the pace and crank out some more articles leading up to the season.

However, I am entertaining the idea of taking on an assistant or two to help keep things fresh around here. This would also be part of my exit strategy should I need to temporarily or permanently excuse myself from writing due to work or whatever. If there are any other fans out there who would like to help contribute to this blog, please contact me. We could start with a guest post or whatever and see how it goes from there.

Assuming I can hang in there for the season, things are looking up. The Chinooks’ arrival in the area puts another team within my daily driving radius and I’m excited for the opportunity to cover more of their home games. The Goldpanners’ return to full-time status will allow me to give them the coverage they deserve, and I’m scheming a way to make this the year I can finally live-blog the Midnight Sun Game in person.

I lost my video camera this past season and haven’t been able to put together any good scouting videos with the footage I have of 2011, but there’s a possibility I’ll acquire a newer, better camera and can get some good stuff for 2012. I’ve picked up a netbook with decent enough battery life to haul to the park with me, and upgraded my ancient Blackberry to a higher-end Android phone, so I should be able to keep my notes better organized and do more live from the park. I’d really love to at least upgrade my terrible, terrible stopwatch. Actually I’d really love to get a Stalker gun. Hey, my birthday is tomorrow. Anyone?

But seriously, only six months until the season begins. I’m starting to get excited…are you?

P.S. OK, so here’s the thank-yous. Thanks to everyone who has made blogging possible…all the team personnel, the players who have taken a chance to speak with me, the players’ parents who have read my writing and given me feedback, everyone who’s read this blog, posted a comment, participated in any way, all the fans, players, host families and personnel who make Alaska baseball possible…everyone! Have a happy 2012.

All I know is through a pair of brief Facebook messages, via the Anchorage Bucs page, stating the above and asking for fans of the Bucs and the ABL to post their thoughts and prayers. The comments are being passed along to Mr. Mattingly and, according to the statement, seem to give him a bit of cheer during this dark time. I’d really urge everyone to like the Bucs on Facebook and leave a comment for Dennis.

I’d also like to take a moment to share some thoughts of my own. I always feel awkward writing these types of things, like I am way under qualified to write about such a serious matter. But I would feel even worse if I remained silent, so here goes.

I have never met Dennis Mattingly face to face. I have seen him around, and maybe he’s seen me, but I tend to keep my distance with people of his role as I feel that the ballpark is their workplace and playing amateur scout/sportswriter on the internet doesn’t make me someone who’s qualified to interrupt them while they’re working. That being said, if a more casual situation should ever arise where I could shake hands and have a chat with him, well, he’s definitely high on my list of people that I’d love to do so with.

Mattingly founded the Bucs over 30 years ago and has been at the helm until this offseason, when his health forced him to hand the reigns off to former Oilers GM Shawn Maltby. To think of all the players who have worn Bucs Black & Gold under his leadership is staggering. This man has helped hundreds of players chase their dream, and more than a few actually catch it. Mattingly hasn’t just made an impact on Anchorage, or Alaska, or the ABL, but the game of baseball as a whole, at every level up to and including the highest level, and he’s done it by touching the lives of young players at a pivotal time in their lives.

Obviously the prognosis for Mattingly must not be stellar or else all of this wouldn’t be happening. But this is the farthest thing from a premature eulogy anyone could write. If there’s one thing the man has a reputation for, it’s for being a fighter. If he’s set his sights on something, he’s found a way to make it happen. As the story goes, the Bucs weren’t exactly welcomed with open arms when they got into the Alaska baseball scene, but that didn’t stop DM the GM. And as many of you probably know, this isn’t his first bout with health problems, and he’s managed to keep on going throughout the years despite all of it. What’s kept him going? I don’t think anyone gets rich in this league. The only thing I can think of is love of the game. This league has plenty of big personalities, so I don’t mean to slight anyone else, but Mattingly’s battles have been nothing short of legendary. On top of all that, I know he’s got a lot of people in his corner who are pulling for him right now, and I’d be honored to be considered one of them.

Please, if you haven’t already, check out the Bucs on Facebook and leave a message for Dennis. Thank you.