Miners roster set for 2011

Frontiersman

PALMER — Each summer, about two-dozen athletes from across the country make their way to Hermon Brothers Field ready to show why they should be headed for the next level.

First-year Mat-Su head coach Brian Yocke believes the 2011 edition of the Miners is a group of players ready to make a statement.

“The exciting thing for me, a lot of these guys are either young guys who didn’t get much playing time or guys who were on teams that didn’t do very well during the spring. So hopefully, they’re hungry to come up and get some wins under their belt,” Yocke said this past week, shortly after arriving in the Valley.

Yocke and his staff — pitching coach Chris Gordon and assistant Josh Renick — will lead the two-time defending Alaska Baseball League champions into the 2011 season with 12 new arms and 13 new position players.

“If everyone comes up here and stays, we should have a competitive team,” Miners general manager Pete Christopher said.

Mat-Su has been a top team in the ABL for years, finishing first in the league four times since 2004. Regardless of how well the players performed during the college season, Yocke said overall attitude is always a big factor in summer baseball.

“Numbers don’t always tell the story,” Yocke said. “Playing aggressive and mindset are 99 percent of summer ball.”

Mat-Su’s pitching staff is anchored by four lefties — St. John’s junior Brendan Lobban, Bluefield junior David Gibson, San Francisco freshman Ben Graff and BYU sophomore Mark Anderson. Each could be a starter for the Miners.

“I like lefty starters because they can shut down the running game a little bit,” Yocke said.

Lobban was 6-2 with 54 strikeouts in 82 innings at St. John’s and Anderson was 4-2 at BYU. Christopher said St. Joseph’s junior right-handers AJ Holland and Ryan Kemp are among the hardest throwers on the staff, both touching 93 miles per hour.

The Mat-Su staff isn’t overflowing with power arms, but Yocke said that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

“A lot of times, especially going for younger guys, power arms usually don’t work in summer ball. They’re usually all over the place,” Yocke said. “Walks are the last thing you want in summer ball.”

In a wood bat summer league, where pitchers are often seen to have the advantage, Yocke said the key is simply throwing strikes.

“The guys who can throw strikes will be at the beginning and end of the game,” Yocke said.

The Miners will also carry three catchers, five infielders and five outfielders into the 2011 season. Most of the position players bring versatility to the Mat-Su lineup.

All three catchers — San Diego State freshman Denny Vigo, Oklahoma freshman Casey Coyle and Western Carolina freshman Adam Martin — can also play in the field.

Mass-Lowell junior Cam Kneeland could be among the leaders in the infield. Kneeland, a corner infielder, hit .328 as a junior. Middle infielders Stephen Branca (Tennessee-Wesleyan) and Tim Zier (San Diego State) also hit at least .300 during the college season.

Outfielder Jaycob Brugman hit .317 as a true freshman at BYU.

The Miners open their 2011 season with six exhibition games. It all starts Tuesday against the Anchorage Glacier Pilots at Mulcahy Stadium in Anchorage. The Miners host the Pilots Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Hermon Brothers.

Editor’s note: For more on the preview of the Mat-Su Miners 2011 season, see the Tuesday edition of the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/matsu_sports.