Alaska Legion Baseball hosts coaches clinic featuring MLB affiliates

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – Despite a snow-covered field just a few yards away, Anchorage youth still found a way to play ball in the halls of West Anchorage High School on Saturday.

Alaska Legion Baseball hosted another edition of its annual professional coaches clinic this past weekend, getting dozens of Anchorage children under the tutelage of Major League teachers.

“You have to have a foundation,” triple-A hitting coach Travis Denker said. “If you don’t, then you’re just going to be swinging and it won’t matter. I definitely love what I’ve seen so far.”

With the guidance of both current and former members of the Arizona Diamondbacks, the clinic focused on drills designed to improve hitting, fielding, and pitching. The four-day camp was open to individuals from as young as second grade up to the high school ranks.

“You can assess pretty quickly their level of aptitude or ability. When you’ve been coaching that long, you know what you need to say and what you need to show,” pitching coach and former MLB pitcher Jeff Bajenaru said.

“The great thing about baseball is you don‘t need to be the biggest, you don‘t need to be the strongest, and you don’t need to be the fastest,” former Diamondbacks assistant pitching coach Dan Carlson added. “There’s no ’one size fits all.’”

The clinic was originally started by 2017 World Series champion and longtime pitching coach Brent Strom, a man who has helped lead the likes of Dallas Keuchel and Justin Verlander to the Cy Young trophy in 2015 and 2019, respectively.

Strom also coached Charlie Morton and current New York Yankee Gerrit Cole to All-Star caliber seasons. He last coached with the Diamondbacks in 2024.

Playing in a state that is notoriously difficult in drawing attention to its athletes, the clinic was another opportunity to showcase Alaska’s ballpark skillset, building off the eye-catching performance that current Oregon Duck Coen Niclai put on last year at the same event.

“He is a guy that stood out last year for sure, not only just size and athleticism, but also how he could hit, how he could throw, how he could catch,” Carlson said. “I promise you, if there’s somebody I see here, I would pass it on to my scout friend at home in Arizona.”

Clinic staff are hopeful the event will continue next year. Interested athletes or parents are encouraged to keep an eye on the Alaska Legion Baseball website for updates and upcoming camps.

Denker also hosts an online coaching program available with a paid subscription on his website.

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