STEPPING UP TO THE MIC: Young ballplayers fill in as announcers

PALMER — Typically, when the Mat-Su Miners need a pinch-hitter, it’s at the plate. But last week, the Miners needed one in the press box.

With the Miners everyday public address announcer, Wolfgang Winter, unable to bring his strong voice and quick wit to the ballpark, the Palmer-based Alaska Baseball League organization looked to another local baseball squad for a substitute.

Kaj Taylor, a 15-year-old incoming sophomore and Palmer High School and member of the Moose baseball program, took the seat behind the microphone July 12 and served as the team’s announcer during a game against the Anchorage Glaicer Pilots. Taylor and Drew Skube, a 13-year-old Colony Middle School student and Palmer Little League player, manned the booth during a doubleheader against the Anchorage Bucs the following night.

“I think they did amazing,” Denise Christopher, Miners marketing and communications director, said.

There’s definite youth in Taylor’s voice.

“He sounds like Smalls from ‘Sandlot,” Christopher said with a laugh, referring to Scotty Smalls, the main character in the 1993 baseball movie.

But Christopher raved about Taylor’s work in the press box.

“He was calling the game, playing the music, promoting the sponsors. And the sponsors were loving it,” Christopher said.

And Taylor had the inflection down, particularly with the home team.

“They just told me whenever a Miners player is up, put some enthusiasm into it,” Taylor said between games during the doubleheader against the Bucs.

Taylor even mixed in a few jokes. Early in the game, as rain fell at Hermon Brothers Field, Taylor said between innings, even though Mother Nature isn’t always predictable, the support of the Miners sponsors is. Taylor called out a, “hey,” when a foul ball came back and hit the press box, a piece of humor straight out of the book of Wolfgang Winter.

“It’s really fun to make fun comments after a nice play,” Taylor said.

Taylor said he got his first taste of announcing a game during the Southcental Conference Championships baseball tournament hosted by Palmer High in late May. The tournament director needed an announcer for a game, and he joined Moose teammate Lucas Adams in the booth. With that in mind, the Miners called Taylor when they needed an announcer last week.

“They called me up, and I said, why not?” Taylor said. “Sounds good to me.”

Taylor said there were certainly some nerves initially, especially early in Mat-Su’s game against the Pilots. But Taylor found his grove.

“It’s fun. It’s a really nice view of the park,” Taylor said of his spot in the booth.

Taylor said he hopes to study civil engineering in college, but announcing baseball games could make for a nice side gig. Taylor said he’s a lifelong baseball fan. He’s played the sport since he was 5, and has been going to Miners games as long as he can remember. Former Miners standouts Levi Jordan and Brick Paskiewicz are among his favorites to wear the Mat-Su green and gold.

Skube handled announcements between innings, and called out the winning tickets for the drawings during the game.

Both said they’d like to return to the booth. Christopher said the door is certainly open for their return.

“We’re just going to keep training him,” Christopher said. “When we need him to come in, he’ll be ready to go.”

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