Baseball America lists 5 Mat-Su Miners players among ABL top 10

PALMER — The Mat-Su Miners are once again receiving some national recognition.

For the second consecutive year, Baseball America has tabbed a Mat-Su Miner as the top player in the Alaska Baseball League.

Lefthanded pitcher Tyler Stubblefield has been named the league’s top prospect for the 2014 season by Baseball America. The Texas A&M southpaw is also one of five Miners listed among Baseball America’s top 10 prospects in the ABL.

Miners occupy three of the top five spots on the list. Miners pitcher Kyle Serrano, a Tennessee right-hander, is No. 2 and another Texas A&M pitcher, Ryan Hendrix is fifth.

Miners outfielder Cameron Frost, a Washington State product, is seventh and catcher Josh Meyer, of Grand Canyon, is listed at eighth.

In 2013, former Miners shortstop A.J. Simcox, a Tennessee product, was named the league’s top prospect, while former Miners outfielders Christin Stewart (Tennessee) and Gio Brusa (Pacific) followed at two and four. Former Mat-Su right-handed pitcher Drew Smith (Dallas Baptist) was listed at fifth last season.

That gives Mat-Su, the ABL runner-up in back-to-back seasons, nine of the 20 total top prospects recognized by Baseball America in the last two years.

Stubblefield’s recognition is the latest on a long list of accolades for the Texas A&M sophomore. The 2014 ABL All-Star was named the league’s pitcher of the year and ABL Top Prospect following the 2014 season.

Stubblefield led the ABL in both earned run average (1.06) and wins (five). He was also third in the league with 45 strikeouts. Stubblefield allowed only five earned runs during the entire regular season. The 6-foot-5 southpaw fanned a season-best 11 hitters in a game twice, notched three complete games and one complete game shutout.

“The body is right, the velocity is right, he has a three-pitch mix, he throws a ton of strikes,” Miners head coach Ben Taylor said of Stubblefield recently.

Beyond the attributes is Stubblefield’s drive, Taylor said, noting Stubblefield’s willingness to make a defensive play after the pitch.

“What I think is awesome about Tyler, he’s an unbelievable competitor,” Taylor said. “He makes plays.”

Some believe Serrano, No. 2 on the 2014 list, may be among ABL players in 2014 with the highest ceiling, based on his overall potential. According to the top prospects press release issued by Baseball America, “Serrano had the top pure arm in the league this summer, but his control continued to hold him back and suppress his value.” Serrano led the ABL in strikeout rate, fanning an average of 13.6 batters per nine innings. But he also led the ABL in walk rate, 10.1 walks per nine innings.

Baseball America compared Serrano’s potential to former Mat-Su Miners pitcher Garrett Richards, who overcame issues with his control. Richards won 13 games for the MLB’s Los Angeles Angels this season before a season-ending injury in August.

Hendrix gave the Miners a pair of Texas A&M Aggies in the top 5.

Following the season. Taylor lauded the overall improvement of Hendrix.

“It’s a real testament to how hard Ryan Hendrix works and how much Ryan improved,” Taylor said. “I thought Ryan was really nipping at Tyler’s heels, and that was an awesome thing. Stubblefield was the best left-handed pitcher, far and away. By the end of the season, Ryan Hendrix was the best right-handed pitcher in the league.”

Hendrix finished the 2014 summer season 3-1 with a 3.06 ERA. He fanned 43 batters in 44 innings. The 6-3 righty enjoyed a great July. He pitched seven innings during all four of his starts in July, and was 2-1 in that stretch. Hendrix allowed only one earned run in his final 24 innings pitched of the season, and three in his final 31 innings of the summer.

Frost was only one of two Miners to play in at least 38 of the team’s 40 games.

“Frost, he’s an anchor,” Taylor said of the Washington State product during the season.

He hit .327 for the Miners. He finished with 49 hits. Of that total, 24 were for extra bases. Frost had 12 doubles, a league-high seven triples and five home runs. He was one of three Miners to hit a grand slam in 2014.

Like Hendrix, Taylor also praised Meyer (Baseball America’s No. 8 prospect from the ABL), noting the Grand Canyon catcher’s overall improvement and potential.

Meyer, a Grand Canyon University product, entered the summer in a three-horse race battling for the starting job at catcher. Meyer not only kept hold of the starting job, but he’s also the pick for the top catcher in the league. Taylor, also a scout for the Kansas City Royals, was not shy in his belief in Meyer’s potential.

“I think of all the players on the list, all the players in the league, Josh is the sleeper to be a big leaguer,” Taylor said. “The physical is there. He’s big, strong. He receives well, throws well.”

Meyer was not only Mat-Su’s everyday catcher, but also the cleanup hitter during the final chunk of the season. He hit .294 in league play, and finished the season with eight doubles and two triples. But there’s much more to Meyer, Taylor said.

“He’s intangibles are off the chart,” Taylor said of Meyer. “He made us so good with his presence behind the plate.”

Taylor said Meyer’s rapport with the pitching staff and pitching coach Brad Baker made the Miners a better team.