Jonny Homza of Anchorage continues to move up the food chain in the San Diego Padres organization as the third-year pro was promoted to the Class-A Tri-City Dust Devils after two years in the Rookie League. The 20-year-old made his name as a incredible infielder but was drafted in the fifth round of the 2017… Read more »
As a closer on a struggling team, Anchorage’s Joe Fitka figured the best way to get an opportunity to finish a game was to start one. Then he went out and still finished it. The Chicago State University sophomore right-hander threw a 5-hit complete game on 140 pitches to highlight a 4-3 walkoff win over… Read more »
The first time Alaska Baseball Academy manager Tony Wylie took South High star Jonny Homza of Anchorage to spring training in Arizona nobody believed Homza was from Alaska. As a 16-year-old, Homza handled himself well against minor-league professional pitchers and showed off an A-plus arm from third base. The scouts were incredulous. “They kept saying,… Read more »
Sacramento State pitcher Max Karnos of Anchorage didn’t just throw his first 9-inning complete game over the weekend. It was the first time in seven years that an Alaskan went all nine innings in a NCAA D1 game. The junior right-hander pitched a 3-hit shutout in an 8-0 win over Utah Valley, facing just one… Read more »
Juneau right-hander Dylan Baker has moved into elite company among Alaska’s best professional pitchers by picking his 10th career win. It may not seem like a lot, but only 10 Alaskans have accomplished double-figure winning decisions in minor league baseball. We’ve never had anybody win a game in the major leagues among the three pitchers… Read more »
The first time the Cincinnati Reds called Scooter Bynum of Fairbanks they were feeling him out. Then they called back five minutes later. “They told me they were going to draft me in the 18th round,” Bynum told me. The Reds made it official moments later when they selected the 18-year-old centerfield from Monroe Catholic… Read more »
Left-handed pitching is so exclusive in baseball that players can stick around the game longer than most. But Conor Spink of Eagle River is proving he isn’t some token southpaw. The 26-year-old relief pitcher hasn’t allowed an earned run since August of last year. That’s 25 consecutive scoreless innings over 15 appearances with the Lincoln… Read more »
He nearly retired from the game. Tonight Corey Madden of Anchorage retired batters in an independent league in Texas. The 28-year-old reliever with the Amarillo Sox made his debut in the American Association, getting the final two outs in the eighth inning in a 9-5 win over El Paso. It was the 207th professional game… Read more »
Persistence pays off in baseball perhaps more than any other sport because failure is such a big part of the game. Just ask Chad Nading of Anchorage. The 25-year-old pitcher has bounced around professional leagues in Arizona to Missouri to California and now he’s on the move again. Nading, of East High fame, has signed… Read more »
After making college players swing and miss, Juneau pitcher Dylan Baker is hoping to be a hit in the big leagues. Baker today was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the fifth round of the Major League Baseball Draft. The 6-foot-3 right-hander with a rocket arm was arguably the top pitching prospect out of junior… Read more »
