No matter how old we grow there is always something to learn, especially in the world of baseball. A few days ago I discovered the Cape Cod Baseball League, a collegiate summer league in New England. I posted an article about the Cape Cod League here on the ThinkBlueLA blog site and very quickly became aware of the Alaska Baseball League (ABL) through ThinkBlueLA forum member Gary Smith. As it turns out, Gary’s nephew played in the Alaska Baseball League this past summer.

It hard to believe that this photo was taken at 10:30 PM.
(Photo credit – Danny Martin)

Ordinarily one would not associate Alaska with baseball. However, I soon discovered baseball has a long history in Alaska dating back over 100 years. That history includes playing the game on ice, barnstorming with a visit for a four-game series in Anchorage from Satchel Paige’s team in 1965. Incidentally, Paige was 59 at that time. It also includes a semi-pro league which became the Alaska Baseball League in 1974, a collegiate league, perhaps patterned after the Cape Cod Baseball League. While the Alaska League may be considered the second best collegiate baseball league in the country, the good folks in Alaska tend to disagree, claiming that their beloved ABL is the number one collegiate baseball league. Sounds like a good old-fashioned rivalry to me.

A mission statement of the league is included on the league’s website. Part of it reads: “The Alaska Baseball League is dedicated and designed to provide a highly competitive level of baseball for NCAA players that wish to continue on into professional baseball. The ABL is a premier sanctioned member of the National Baseball Congress.”

The Alaska League uses wood or wood composite bats. All games are day games. Players in the league must have attended one year of college and must have one year of NCAA eligibility remaining. That is, they are freshmen, sophomores or juniors. All teams are non-profit organizations run by a host of volunteers and players live with host families. Players are actively recruited and become team members after tryouts. The 2013 league champion Goldpanners are making plans to firm up the 2014 roster. They have scheduled open tryouts in Los Angeles on the 9th of June. Things happen quickly as flights to Alaska follow that evening, and the 2014 ABL season opener will be held in Anchorage, Alaska on the 10th of June.

The league consists of five teams: Alaska Goldpanners, Anchorage Bucs, Matsu Miners, Peninsula Oilers, Anchorage Glacier Pilots, Chugiak Chinooks. Each year the league champions earn a berth in the National Baseball Congress World Series held annually at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium in Wichita, Kansas. In the 1970’s as most semi-professional teams folded the teams in the tournament were replaced with mainly amateur college players looking to impress Major League scouts. There are now fifteen member leagues in the National Baseball Congress. In 2014 the Goldspanners will be making their 25th appearance at the National Baseball Congress World Series.

The Alaska Goldpanners having won the National Baseball Congress World Series six times have helped put the Alaska Baseball on the baseball map. Over 200 Goldpanner alumni have played at the MLB level.

The Goldpanners host the historic Midnight Sun Game held at Growden Memorial Park in Fairbanks on the longest day of each year. It is one of the highlights of the Alaska Baseball League season. Because the sun is out for almost 24 hours a day, the game starts at about 10:30 at night and completes around 1:30 the next morning. Needless to say, none of the games in the Alaska Baseball League are played under lights. On June 21, 2006, the Alaska Baseball League celebrated the 100th anniversary the Midnight Sun Game. Here’s a video clip commemorating that historic game:

The following major league players are on the list of Alaska League alumni: Barry Bonds , Aaron Boone , Chris Chambliss, Jeff Francis, Jason Giambi, Mark Grace, John Olerud, Dave Stieb, Frank Viola, Dave Winfield, JT Snow, C. J. Wilson

The list of players from the ABL with Dodger connections include: Darren Dreifort, Mickey Hatcher, Ron Roenicke, Luis Gonzalez, Eric Karros, Jeff Kent, JD Drew, Mark McGwire, Doug Mientkiewicz

As mentioned earlier, ThinkBlueLA forum member Gary Smith’s nephew played in the Alaska Baseball League in 2013. Michael Benson pitched for the Anchorage Glacier Pilots. I had the pleasure of meeting Michael at Surprise Stadium in Phoenix on March 1, 2013 and also got his autograph. Little did I know I would have a connection to the Alaska Baseball League or that a league in the far north would attract so many young college players to play baseball under the midnight sun.

Pacific University RHP Michael Benson (back row-center) played for the Anchorage Glacier Pilots of the Alaska Baseball League this past summer. The guy at the bottom right is Dodgers 2B prospect Tyger Pederson, brother of Dodgers top outfield prospect Joc Pederson, and the guy behind him is RHP Mike Hager. The trio of Pacific Tigers generously posed for this photo with a group of ThinkBlueLA regulars after a March 1, 2013 game against Arizona State at Surprise Stadium, AZ. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)