Season preview: Miners boast live arms, big bats in 2016

PALMER — As Mat-Su Miners head coach Ben Taylor describes each player on the 2016 roster, there’s one word that continues to stick out.

Power.

“Offensively, we brought in a lot of power. Not just power potential, guys who put up power numbers for their college teams,” Taylor said recently. “Pitching wise, it’s the same thing we’ve done for the last three years. Big power arms. Big velocity arms.”

Taylor and his assistants, pitching coach Matt Greely and assistant coach Joe Perez, are looking for the power play to translate into continued success for the Miners, the league’s winningest team over the past three seasons. The Miners, who host Chugiak in their home opener Sunday at 4 p.m. at Hermon Brothers Field, have been mainstays in the ABL title hunt during Taylor’s time with the team, finishing as the league runner-up in each of the last three summers.

“Winning an ABL championship is definitely our No. 1 goal. (We want to) bring a championship to the Valley,” Taylor said. “We’ve been close for three years. I’m extremely proud of what we’ve done: winning more games than any other team, three (most valuable players), numerous all-stars. The recipe for success is there. We’re looking for this year to get over the hump.”

And to get over the hump, the Miners will look for that continued success on the bump. Pitching has been prime throughout the Taylor era. Last season, the Miners led the ABL is most team pitching categories. Mat-Su boasted a league low 1.81 team earned run average, and opponents hit a mere .185 against Miners pitching. The Miners fanned 343 hitters, while allowing only 79 earned runs, 24 fewer than the next best team.

“Pitching has been our bread and butter the last couple of years,” Taylor said. “This year’s pitching staff is as talented, if not more.”

The Miners currently have 16 pitchers on the roster, a dozen right-handers and four lefties.

The staff includes a pair of past Junior College All-Americans, Gonzaga’s Justin Vernia and Texas A&M’s Jace Vines, who are now excelling for their Division I teams. The list also includes Grand Canyon’s Mick Vorhof, an All-Western Athletic Conference reliever.

Taylor also noted Grand Canyon freshman Tyler Wyatt, a two-way player who can pitch and play in the infield. Wyatt was named Arizona Player of the Year for baseball while in high school. Another two-way player is New Mexico’s Austin Treadwell, who can pitch and play in the outfield. Treadwell earned player of the year honors in New Mexico in high school.

“The pitching staff is something to look forward to. We’ve developed a reputation here as a program that develops arms, and sends arms back to their school better than when we got them,” Taylor said.

Examples include eight former Mat-Su Miners pitchers who were selected in the 2016 MLB First-Year Player Draft.

Two pitchers on the 2016 roster, Vines and Gonzaga’s Gage Burland, were also drafted this year.

Taylor’s excitement is not just reserved for the pitching staff. The skipper in his fourth year with the Miners, is expecting big things from his position players, both at the plate and in the field.

“Offensively, this is the most physical team I’ve ever had since I’ve been up here,” Taylor said.

The Miners should boast power throughout the batting lineup this year, Taylor said.

“I wanted to bring in more power. It was a priority,” Taylor said. “We want to be able to change games with one at-bat.”

But many of these players have more to offer than just pop in their bat, Taylor said.

“This isn’t a line up full of one-trick ponies,” Taylor said. “These are very, very athletic players.”

Among the leaders around the infield is Kansas State first baseman Jake Scudder, the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year. Scudder also has championship experience, having helped Iowa Western win a junior college national title during his two seasons with that program. Scudder led Kansas State in batting with a .333 average in 2016. The infield also includes Maryland freshman AJ Lee, a two-time high school player of the year in Maryland, and Washington sophomore Levi Jordan, an everyday player at second base for the Huskies who led the Pac 12 in fielding percentage as a freshman.

“The overall infield defense should be a big strength for us,” Taylor said.

Grand Canyon sophomore Garrison Schwartz, who earned freshman All-American honors earlier in his career, is among the outfielders in the roster. South Florida freshman Cam Montgomery and Maryland junior Madison Nickens are both power threats, Taylor said. The outfield also features Fairbanks native and Monroe Catholic graduate Scooter Bynum, who has excelled at Arizona Western Community College. Bynum finished his sophomore season with a .351 batting average.

The Miners also have a pair of catchers on the roster, Kansas State freshman Josh Rolette and Kentucky sophomore Troy Squires. Rolette was named to the all-freshman team after hitting third every day for Kansas State, and Squires is also an everyday catcher expected to bring leadership to the club, Taylor said.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.