2010 Players to Watch: Team-by-team updates.

Liam Baron, the "thunder from down under", is a
new player to watch for the Goldpanners.
Photo courtesy of Goldpanners.com

This past off-season, several ABL teams released their rosters relatively early. And of course, I was all over that, writing up "Players to Watch" lists as fast as I could get to them. There's one problem with that, though, and that's the volatile nature of summer ball rosters. Injuries, academic problems, transferring to schools with new coaches that have other ideas, and all sorts of other academic/athletic/personal issues can lead to a player bailing or being held back from coming up to AK. For the three early-bird teams that we covered, nearly half the players that I had listed on our watch lists will be doing something else this summer. (For the other tree teams, the previous lists still stand).

But fear not, ABL fans. Those players have been replaced by other players, many of whom are just as good or better. So tonight I'd like to take a moment and look at some of the "replacement" players to watch so that we can get a good crop of intriguing guys to keep an eye on before we get too deep into the season. Just like the main team lists, these aren't necessarily a "best of" ranking, but guys who stand out because of internet buzz, potential, statistics, personal background, whatever. And if someone is flying under my radar that you like, feel free to leave a comment and let me know!

Now, onto the list...

AIA Fire:

IF Kellen Bozeman
Delta State
Junior - 6'0" 195lb

Kellen Bozeman will be one of the top offensive threats for the Fire this season, and so far he hasn't disappointed. He's a tough out, he'll hit high for average, and he'll even swipe a few. Perfect Game ranked him as the top prospect on Delta State for 2009; he wasn't drafted this year but if I'm not mistaken he has another year of eligibility, and I'll eat my hat if he's overlooked again in 2011.

LHP Harrison Helms
Mid-American Nazerene
Senior - 6'3" 185lb

Helms is a big, tall kid starting to bulk up a bit. He's been very successful at MNU, nailing down the job as the team's ace while leading the team in just about every pitching category there is, and has established himself as one of the best pitchers in the NAIA. On top of all that, this isn't his first rodeo in the wood-bat summer leagues; Helms was an all-star in the NYCBL back in 2007 as a freshman. In the Fire's games during their California warm-up series and their first match-up with the Pilots up here in Alaska, Helms hasn't logged an inning, but I'm very eager to see what he can do on the hill.

Anchorage Bucs:
1B Chris Serritella
Southern Illinois
Sophomore - 6'4" 205lb

Chris Serritella is a big, hard-hitting left-hander who has found success everywhere he's played. He was Southern Illinois' best hitter this year, pacing the Saluki offense in average (.374), runs (51), two-baggers (19), RBI (64), and slugging and on-base percentages (.644, .457, 1.101 OPS). He was second on the team in homers (13) and walks (33), but the latter is probably due to his fearsome hitting as he also led the team in strikeouts, which leads me to believe he's kind of a grip-and-rip guy. In any event, he took home all-conference honors for his second-year performance, and he also played summer ball last year in the Great Lakes league where he was ranked the #12 prospect by Perfect Game. If that's not enough to make you want to keep an eye on the guy, Serritella's already shown that he can play hard-nose ball on the defensive end for the Bucs this season. He doesn't have a lot of speed, and therefor not a lot of range, but he makes up for it with aggressiveness and can make some good plays at the hot corner.

Goldpanners of Fairbanks

LHP Liam Baron
Gonzaga
Senior - 6'1" 220lb

I'm a big fan of international baseball, especially places that don't draw so many major league players. During the two years of the World Baseball Classic I have been absolutely fanatical. I guess that's what draws me to Liam Baron: he's a big southpaw pitcher out of Gonzaga who originally hails from Perth, Australia, and so far this season he's the only international prospect in the league (I thought I heard of some Bucs coming in from Taiwan, but until I can officially confirm that, he's the man). I want to see what they've got cookin' down under (besides another shrimp on the barbie). Baron pitched some JuCo ball in Oregon and was named conference MVP; let's see what he can do up in AK.

And with that, our Players to Watch list for 2010 should be complete! Print that puppy out and take it to the park with you. And let me know who YOUR players to watch are.