Rough seas ahead...

Hey, folks.

I'll be doing some major work to this blog this weekend that will include some pretty heavy-duty changes.

There will likely be a short period of time where things are, let's say, not pretty. I'm going to try and make this happen at like 2 a.m. and be as short-lived as possible.

However, if you notice anything that looks downright goofy, or encounter any broken links or anything, just give it a few hours to a day and see what happens. The end result will be worth it...trust me.

10/9/10 Odds & Ends: slim odds & short ends edition

It's been kind of a slow week, and quite honestly, I can't think of much to write for this post. I can, however, think of plenty of things that are worthy of their own posts. I've sat here for an hour or two poking around on the web for news bytes and just can't come up with anything, so I reckon I should just leave you with what I've got so far and go right to work on something much cooler to post in the coming days. So this is what I've got.

- Have you voted for the 49th State Hardball ABL-to-MLB Year-end awards? If not, hit this link up and fill out your official ballot. It's a quick and easy way to get your favorite ABLers in MLB recognized. After the first wave of voting there are some clear front-runners but there definitely haven't been enough votes for anyone to seal the deal yet. So it's not too late to help your favorite guy get over the top. Go vote!

- The College Baseball Blog has honored a former ABLer, and one of my favorites, in its top-100 ranking: 2010 Mat-Su Miner Andy Mee of Florida Atlantic. I highly recommend that you read the short piece by Brian Foley (link), the hardest working blogger in college ball. Of course, for more Andy Mee goodness, check out our very own scouting video.

Told you that would be short & sweet!

9/18/10 Odds & Ends - Blogging on Blogs edition

Alright folks, I'm off to my usual late start, but my struggles with punctuality have been compounded this week by a crippling addiction to the computer game Hearts of Iron III and an obligation to channel every ounce of dad-ness in my bones as my wife attempts to get a handle on her grad school projects. Fortunately, I had a few little leftovers from the week that didn't get written about, including a few things about some blogs that are probably a million times cooler than this one:

- Jonathan Cisneros (Miners, 2009) has made the jump to pro ball after going undrafted this spring, spending some time in the independent United League. Cisneros was signed by Amarillo and spent a whopping eight games with the club before being traded to Laredo for a player to be named later despite hitting .406 with two homers. In 70 total games in the indy league, Cisneros posted a .375 batting average with 6 HR and 47 RBI. Congrats to Cisneros on inking the deal and posting some big numbers, and let's hope that he might  make the jump to affiliated ball.

- As a newbie prospects blogger, one guy I have come to greatly admire and even relate to is Mike Newman at the blog "Scouting the Sally", in which he scours the Single-A South Atlantic League for big-name prospects and sleepers alike. It occurred to me the other day to look through his backlog of posts for former ABL players, and I turned up a few. Mike's got reports on Matt Thompson (Oilers, 2007), Sean Ratliff (Bucs, 2007) and Joshua Satin (Miners, 2004). I wholeheartedly suggest giving those a read!

- Speaking of other blogs,  I have been invited to participate in the very awesome Bus Leagues Baseball year-end awards voting. I have received my ballot in the good ol' electronic mail and will be doing my duty to baseball to help pick the most awesome minor league players of the year for recognition. A cursory glance over the options shows that at least a couple former ABLers are up for some of the very coveted awards, but of course I will be as unbiased as possible and not let my man crush on all players to have ever come through the ABL taint my voting...at least not a whole lot anyway.

The end! Scouting video on Monday!

Semi-bold Predictions for 2010: Revisited

Let's see how terrible I did.

The last-place Pilots did not manage to pull within eight games
of first place.

If you've been following 49thStateHardball since way back when, before the beginning of the season, you'll remember at one point that I made some "semi-bold predictions" as part of my 2010 season preview. But the biggest fun of making predictions prior to the season is stringing me up like a human pinata post-season to lash me for all my terrible guesswork. So, here it is. My predictions revisited. Let the flogging begin!

Prediction #1: "The spread between first and last place will be eight games or less."
Verdict:  INCORRECT

Man, was I way off on this one. The spread between the first-place Miners and last-place Glacier Pilots was a whopping 19 games. I still don't understand how they did that bad; they didn't look that bad on paper but I guess that's why we play the games. 

Prediction #2: "The spread between the top three teams will be three games or less."
Verdict: CORRECT

This was a race right down to the wire, with the defending champs (the Miners), my predicted champs (the Goldpanners) and the team that I recognized as most improved (the Oilers, see below) all running right down to the wire. The spread was within my predicted margin; the Oilers finished in third place at 1.5 GB.

Into the unknown...

Hey, readers. I'm going to make a little programming note, here. I'll try to keep it short and I'd encourage everyone who is a regular reader of this blog to take a peek, but if you're only here for the baseball, stay plugged in because we'll have some other stuff shortly...

Anyway, that's another season in the books. We're heading into off-season mode here, but right off the bat I'd like to lay to rest any notion that this blog will be going into hibernation over the winter. In case you've just joined us this season, I started this blog in November and kept it going all winter with several posts a week, so you can expect nothing less this year.

What will likely happen is that the focus will shift to the former players of the ABL who are now off to other exploits. I've got a lot of catch-up to do on how our pro prospects are faring out there in the world of professional baseball, so that's one thing. Look for updates in that area.

6/12/10 Odds & Ends - Actually playing baseball edition

Mark Joukoff will be on the sidelines for the
next couple weeks.
Photo: AnchorageBucs.com

Holy cow, it's actually here. Alaska Baseball is happening for real. And what a start. The Oilers are pacing the league with a 3-0 record (didn't I tell you they'd be better this year?), there have been a ton of tight games and pitching duels, and I can't get enough. I'm obsessed. So here's the dish on this week's odds & ends:

- Let's start it off with a little trivia. Did you know that today is the birthday of the Mat-Su Miners? The Valley Green Giants -- precursors of the modern Miners -- played their very first game on this day in 1976.

- So far we've had a couple ABL draftees sign pro contracts. I already reported (and scooped the world!) that Panners recruit Darian Sandford has signed (real name is Clifford) with the Royals, and that Ryan Cole (Miners, 2009) has come to terms with Houston. Houston and KC have been the most active as far as getting their players to sign. Oakland has been aggressive in coming to terms as well, but the only draft pick out of AK they have is Matt Thomson (Oilers, 2007) who was taken in the 12th round, and so far there's no indication that those two parties have come to terms. Every other team has been pretty quiet as far as signing their draft picks, but we'll continue to monitor the situation.

- We've already got at least one injury on the short season. The Bucs' Mark Joukoff was injured while taking infield practice on Monday; twisting his ankle while leaping for a high throw. He'll probably be out for about two weeks, which means he'll miss about two starts on the hill.

Pro Prospect Transactions: May 26, 2010

It's been a long time coming, but I've finally gone back through the Pro Prospects list and updated as many players as I could find info for. 

One of the more interesting guys on this list is James Paxton. The former Glacier Pilot was set to begin his senior season this year with Kentucky, but after a big drama bomb with the NCAA exploded he opted not to pitch the college season. Instead, he's signed on with the Grand Prairie Air Hogs of the independent American Association. However, signing with an independent professional league does not make you ineligible for the MLB Rule 4 draft, and Paxton is still a draft prospect -- in fact, one projected to possibly go in the first round. So, in a strange sort of way, Paxton is both a pro prospect and a draft prospect.

The rest of the list is available "below the fold". But before we get into it, a couple more notes. First, we're getting a lot of the blanks on the pro prospect list filled, but there are still quite a few left. This is because most of those guys will be assigned to short-season leagues, we just don't know which ones yet. Next, under the "In MLB" section, this is obviously not a complete list of all ABL players in Major League Baseball. These are just the ones considered prospects who are making their first stint in the major leagues. Finally, the "New to List" section is composed of players who I previously missed, who are just now being added to our pro prospects watch list. And, as always, if you notice any errors or omissions, please let me know!

The 2010 Preseason To-Do List

Lately I've shared some of my personal life with you all, and how I've had some stuff to clear out of the way before I could get caught up on some blogging. Well, for the first time in a while I feel like I can sit down and take a more professional approach to this blog. One thing that really helps me stay focused and get things accomplished in the rest of my life is the "to-do list", and with about three weeks to go before the ump says "play ball" on the ABL season, I'm going to start a to-do list for 49th State Hardball. Not only will it help me get organized, but also give you a little peek at what's coming down the tracks. Here goes:

As soon as possible...

• Players to Watch for the Glacier Pilots
• Update the Players to Watch main list
• Draft Eligible lists for the Goldpanners, Glacier Pilots, Oilers (done!) and Fire
• Draft eligible big list
• Draft prospect ranking
• Update the pro prospects list to reflect transactions
• Pro prospect ranking (done!)
• ABL Top Players readers' picks
• Big ol' season preview
• Big ol' preseason wrap
• First-ever ABL mailbag (just need a couple more questions!)

Routine housekeeping...

• More player profiles, for every team.
• Update the pro prospects list routinely
• Players to Watch for Oilers & Miners, plus update other teams
• Updates on any transactions that happen

Well, that's plenty to keep us busy for a while. I've got some other ideas, too, but I'll keep a couple up my sleeve.

5/8/10 Odds & Ends - Late Night Edition

Are you up burning the midnight oil with me? I guess you must be if you're reading this and it's still Saturday. I know you guys have all been sitting up just waiting for me to put up the Saturday Odds & Ends, so here goes...here's your quick notes for the past week:

- Jesse Sikorski (Panners, 2010 recruit) of DIII Johns Hopkins tore up the conference tournament last week, going 6-for-10, 8R, 7RBI and two homers. For his efforts he was named Centennial Conference Player of Week and Tournament MVP. Sikorski has been putting up ridiculous numbers in DIII ball; I can't wait to see what he can bring to the plate up here in AK this summer.

- It has been brought to my attention that some of the other teams are doing youth clinics as well this year. The Bucs' clinic is free for ages 6 to 13, and it's going down June 14 thru 18th. Participants get a Bucs tee shirt and a free youth season pass. The application is available online, and you don't need to pre-register, just print it out and bring it to the park. The Mat-Su Miners are doing a clinic, too, as they do every year. But there is a registration fee and they are asking that you RSVP. All the info on that is available here.

No preseason wrap this week

Just a quick note: there will be no preseason wrap this week.

I'm having some personal issues that are taking time away from writing; specifically, the kids have been sick and cranky, plus I have exams this week and finals the week after. I've been very short on sleep, and even if I didn't sleep a wink I'd still be extremely short on time this week.

I have one post already written so you will still get that, at minimum, but I don't have time to read through hundreds of box scores. I apologize in advance, and things will pick back up again shortly.

Thank you for understanding.

4/17/2010 Odds & Ends: Broken Bones Edition

I broke my toe on Tuesday morning.
This week was all downhill from there.

Hey, it's Saturday, time for another Odds & Ends! This week was kinda light; my foot got in a fight with a dining room chair and lost (see photo to the left) and, yeah, that kinda set the tone for my whole week. But I got a couple posts in, and you know I'm always good for an Odds & Ends (unless something better comes up): 

- There have been a few roster moves made by the teams who have released tentative rosters. I've noticed a couple of players who are no longer listed for 2010. Bryan Harper (Pilots, 2009), big brother of uber-prospect Bryce Harper, is apparently not coming up for round two with the Glacier Pilots. A little birdie told me that he won't be back; I usually don't post "rumor mill" stuff but if you'll notice that the Glacier Pilots have written biographies on their websites for all of their returning players except Harper, it kind of corroborates that. Just putting two and two together on that one. Also, Jesse Darrah (Panners, 2009) has been taken off the 2010 roster. The story here is that the would-be returning Goldpanner out of Sacramento State is taking summer classes and may rejoin the team mid-season if things work out as planned. On the other hand, the Pilots have announced the signing of Thomas Rooke, and the Panners have booked Alex Pracher. I have a little write-up on those signings.

The Pro Prospects list is back!

That's right, the ABL Pro Prospects big list is back up. I've listed all ABL alumni (that I could track down...additions are more than welcome) who were in minor league, independent, or international baseball in 2009. I've updated the opening day league & team for many players -- nearly everyone who will start the year in full-season leagues -- and updated the status of those who have been traded, released, signed as free agents, etc.

It took me almost a week longer than I wanted. I've broken computers, stayed up past my bed time, learned firsthand why you save every five minutes, and pissed my wife off on more than one occasion. It's been a labor of love, and yes, a labor of hate. But now I can go back to writing about fun stuff because it is DONE...that is until a month or so from now, when I go through it all again to update everyone.

Take look at it. It should be pretty useful if you're trying to keep track of certain players, or if you are curious about which players in your area's minor league clubs might have come through Alaska. I have done my best to make it as complete as possible, but of course, I'm sure out of the 200+ former ABLers who were active in the minor leagues in 2009, I missed somebody. If you notice anyone I missed, or any errors, or have an update, by all means let me know and I would be more than happy to fix it up.

4/3/10 Odds & Ends -- Gettin' Ink Done Edition

Spend some quality time with one of
these and you could be throwing out
the first pitch on Pilots' opening day.

- Want to a pair of FREE Glacier Pilots season tickets? A FREE jersey? The chance to throw out the first pitch on opening day? All you have to do is either A) Legally change your name to Glacierpilots.com for a year, or B) Get at (real) tattoo of the Pilots logo. That's it. This came across the wire on their Twitter feed on the first; I thought it might be an April Fool's joke but if you go to their website, sure enough, it's there. Now, let's think about this for a second. The changing your name part sounds a little extreme but there has to be a die-hard Glacier Pilots fan reading this that would get a tattoo of their favorite team. Hell, I thought about doing it...free season tickets dude!...but my wife gave me the stink eye when I told her so I'd better not. So it's wide open. Here's your chance!

- In other Pilots news, the team has posted up a bio of USC pitcher & 2010 returning recruit Ben Mount. Mount was rock solid for the Pilots last year, and he's a big dude: 6'8" 210lb. Reminds me of another gigantic Glacier Pilots pitcher, one with a glorious mullet and a knack for driving fear into the hearts of hitters.

Working on the Pro Prospects list today

UPDATE: So I managed to drop a plate on my laptop and KILL it. Thankfully I was able to pull the HD out and recover the data but this put me seriously behind. I am all thumbs today. I pretty much lost a day's work and a laptop computer but I will work diligently to bring you my updated prospect list tomorrow. Plus, I've got an article mostly written, that was meant to accompany the updated list, and that's saved too. So look for all that tomorrow.

Just a quick note, in case anyone is wondering...

Somehow I messed up the pro prospects table while trying to update it today. This is OK because it was (mostly) backed up in Excel. So while I've taken it down I'm going to go ahead and try to update the data to reflect the start of the 2010 season as much as possible (as opposed to the end of 2009). It should be up by the end of the day, plus a new article for your reading pleasure.

If anyone has any additions or updates to the Pro Prospects table, now would be a great time to speak up!

- jjack

3/27/10 Odds & Ends - Easter Egg Hunt Edition

This week has been a disaster on the home front; we've just been totally slammed getting ready for my daughter's school's Spring Fling event, so there's been no time to do anything but make signs on sticks and all kinds of neat stuff like that. My posting has definitely suffered as a result, but fear not...today I'm making up for it with a double post. Let's check out a truncated Odds & Ends for this week:

- Bret Atwood (Bucs, 2009/2010 Recruit) bunted for a hit last night (I'm a sucker for bunt-hits) to keep his hitting streak alive at 14 games. It was his only hit of the night, which snapped his multi-hit streak at nine games. Both are pretty impressive streaks, though, and we'll see if he can keep the hitting streak alive through the coming week.

- The Mat-Su Miners have been selling tickets to their Grand Slam Raffle and dinner next month. Tickets are $100 and are good for not only the raffle in which 22 cash prizes will be awarded from a $15,000+ pool, but also the team dinner at the Ravel Hall on the state fairgrounds and season passes for two. There are only 400 of these to spare so if you want one, don't sit around waiting for them to come to you, get in touch with the team and they'll hook you up. This is a really good cause; we've talked a little bit about the Miners' struggles this off-season so if you've got $100 to spare, why not buy a ticket, get some good food & drink, score a couple season passes, and help the club out?

3/20/10 Odds & Ends: Spring Break is Almost Over edition

Ugh. This is the worst part of spring break. I'm going to rattle this off fast and go get out in the sunshine while I still can. Then back to having my lifeforce drained by school...

Box Score:

- In case you haven't heard, Panners recruit Darian Sandford has reached an impressive milestone in his career. The lightning-fast outfielder has stolen his way into Park University history, becoming the school's #1 career steals man. I predict that this will be just one small milestone in the course of Sandford's career, but congratulations are definitely in order.

- I've launched the Pro Prospects "Big List". The big list is a sortable table of every ABL-turned-pro prospect I can find. It includes active minor league, independent, and international prospects. Guys who have enough MLB experience to shed the prospect title have been omitted, and the data is from 2009. I'll be going through it this spring to see who's dropped off the list, if anyone's been traded or whatever, and determine where all the players are likely to end up on 2010 opening day. Also, while I estimate it's at least 90% complete, I'm sure I've missed someone, so if you notice that your favorite ABL alumnus is missing please drop me a line and let me know. I will be very thankful for any additions or corrections anyone can make. Anyway, check it out and see what you think!

Introducing the ABL Mailbag

With the introduction of the new site layout complete, I'd like to take a moment to introduce one of the features added in the process: the ABL Mailbag. This will give you a chance to write in and have your questions answered on this blog. Here's how it works:

1) You send in your burning questions.
2) I decide if I like it enough to answer it.
3) I call on anything and anyone at my disposal to get you a good answer.
4) Repeat steps 1-4 until I have a few good questions to write an entire article about.
5) I post up the questions and answers and everyone thinks it's awesome.

So, if you've got something on your mind, why not check out the Mailbag page and shoot me a question?

New Layout Update

[UPDATE 9:15pm AKT] Got it all rolled out and I think it looks good. I'm pretty sure I have everything more or less how I like it. Please let me know if you encounter any problems or just have a strong opinion for or against the changes. - jjack

Dear readers,

At approximately 7pm Alaska Time (11PM ET), 49th State Hardball will go temporarily offline for the evening.

During this time I will be rolling out the BRAND SPANKIN' NEW layout for this website. I've got something whipped up that will look a lot fresher & cleaner, and tonight will be the night that I will unleash it upon the world.

Assuming everything goes as planned, I intend to have the website back online by tomorrow morning at the very latest, possibly even tonight. I'll have a recap of some great ABL-in-D1 performances shortly thereafter.

Thanks,
Jesse

2/21/10 Odds & Ends -- Rain Delayed Edition

Well, another week has gone by, and it's time for another Odds & Ends. I guess let's get right to it:


Box Score:

- Yesterday was our first ever live chat, and it was a good time for all. We didn't have a whole slough of people, but what we didn't have in quantity we had in quality. Associate GM Todd Dennis of the Goldpanners was with us for the whole thing and he answered some questions, shared some stories, and B.S.'ed with us. All around, a good time. For those of you who missed it, we'll definitely be doing it again in the future, and I'd love to see more of you on the chat. I'll also actually announce it in advance, maybe that will help.

- The Peninsula Oilers are accepting applications for their 2010 scholarship. The scholarship is open to high-school seniors at Kenai-area high schools with an interested in baseball and/or other sports. The application form and infosheet are available on their website.

D1 Baseball Opening Week Chat

First, the bad news...this weekend's "Odds & Ends" post has been postponed until tomorrow. Hearbreaking, I know. So what's the good news? You are invited to join 49th State Hardball for our first ever live chat to celebrate D1 Baseball opening weekend!

D1 Opening Week Casual Chat - Fullscreen