10/2/10 Odds & Ends

Alright, folks. There's some important stuff to talk about this weekend...but I'm hitting the road for Missoula, Montana today and I need to be on that highway like, right now. So let's get right to the nuts & bolts:

- The teams are right back at it, hitting it hard in preparation for the next season, and the Glacier Pilots are no exception. The team is holding a fund-raising extravaganza that involves a World Series watching party/Chili Cookoff/Raffle/pumpkin carving contest at the Bear & Raven theater in Anchorage. They need ticket buyers, ticket sellers, and world-class home-made chili to enter into the contest. Tickets are $50 and only 50 will be sold. If you want to get involved in any of the above-mentioned festivities, give 'em a buzz at (907) 274-3627.


- Over at Bus Leagues Baseball, a blog featuring commentary on all levels of non-MLB ball, they're doing their year-end awards, which I have been chosen as a panelist on. Well, former Anchorage Buc Paul Goldschmidt has tied for fifth in the voting for Minor League Player of the Year. Congrats Paul! And be sure to check out the Bus Leagues Baseball blog, one of my favorites.


- Remember the great Alaska Baseball League documentary, Touching the Game? Well the creators of the film have made a blog post to their website discussing the whereabouts of some of the players depicted in the movie. It's a short piece but well done and is a great look at what the future may hold for the stars of today's ABL.

2008 Buc Goldschmidt named Cal League MVP

D-Backs prospect and former ABLer muscles his way to honors.

In his first full year of professional baseball, former Anchorage Bucs slugger Paul Goldschmidt (2008) has been named the California League's Most Valuable Player for 2010.

Goldschmidt, who has manned first base for the Class A+ Visalia Rawhide, has been very productive in the minors this season. So far on the year (130 games) he's driven in 97 RBI's and knocked 33 homers. That number is good enough to tie him for first place in all of the minor leagues for homers, sharing the #1 slugger spot with Jerry Sands of the AA Chattanooga Lookouts. Goldschmidt is also hitting at a very respectable .305 average and .967 OPS.

As a first-year full-season player, Goldschmidt has also taken home the Cal League's Rookie of the Year award. Consideration of this award does not include his 2009 campaign, in which he served a short-season tour of duty with the rookie-level Pioneer League's Missoula Osprey. At that level, he batted to a tune of .334 with an OPS of 1.045.

In Alaska in 2008, Goldschmidt was one of the Bucs' best hitters. In league play, the right-hander posted a .310 AVG and led the team in homers (3), RBI (20), doubles (13), and hits (45). According to a close acquaintance of his host family, Goldschmidt still keeps in touch with his summer parents and has a reputation as an all-around good guy.